Waking Nightmare
by Peach Wookiee
Summary: In the aftermath of The Steerminator, Darkwing and company must deal with what's happened. Differs from canon... My first DW fic! Please read and review! EPILOGUE UP!
1. Chapter 1

Darkwing Duck: Waking Nightmare

_Hello, everyone! This i__s my first Darkwing Duck story!__ This was one of my favorite cartoon series when I was a kid and I even have a Darkwing plushie somewhere in my attic. I remember the Disney Afternoon cartoon block with special fondness, and when cartoons were on regular TV channels before and after school. But I digress…_

_In Season 3 of Darkwing Duck, the monster __that__ had Gosalyn Waddlemeyer/Mallard's grandfather murdered in cold blood emerged from the shadows… Taurus Bulba should've died in the explosion on that skyscraper, but FOWL de__cided to turn him into a cyborg and he went psycho on Darkwing and Gosalyn. Now I know episodes aired after that, but I thought __of a different episode that should have come__ after… And that is where this story begins…_

_Disclaimer: Peach Wookiee doesn't own Darkwing Duck or any other Disney characters. If she did, there sure would've been a Season 4 of our billed version of Batman!_

Gosalyn Mallard looked up in the sky where Taurus Bulba had flown away. She could distantly hear the SHUSH agents coming, and her father, currently dressed as Darkwing Duck, telling Launchpad to get a lawn chair or something since the wheelchair was smashed, but she felt funny and rather detached.

_He's back… Bulba's back… He'll try to kill Dad and everybody…_ She wasn't quite ten years old, and yet her world had been shattered twice before. First her parents had died in an accident, and then she'd gone to live with her grandpa. And then Grandpa had been killed, and the little redheaded green-eyed duckling had been sent to the St. Canard Orphanage where she'd been an outcast because she didn't act like little girls are supposed to act. But then, when Hammerhead Hannigan, a goat henchman for Taurus Bulba had tried to kill her, Darkwing Duck had swooped in and saved her.

Bulba had almost killed Darkwing later, but the superhero had somehow survived an explosion and a fall and adopted Gosalyn as his daughter… Drake Mallard's only child. The duckling also considered herself the surrogate little sister of Launchpad McQuack, a duck who stood six feet tall and had red hair under his goggles and pilot's cap. He acted a lot like a kid himself, and so it was easy for her to think of him as a big brother.

_Bulba will hunt them down… Honker's in danger, too…_ Since moving into suburban St. Canard, a little duckling boy with yellow feathers and a brilliant brain had become her best friend. Honker, a.k.a. Herbert Muddlefoot, Junior, was the younger son of the Mallards' next-door neighbors, Herb and Binky. He hadn't had a lot of friends, and had Gosalyn really considered the matter, she'd have realized they complemented each other. It tore her apart to think that he might have gotten hurt or killed because of her.

"Gosalyn?" a young voice, slightly congested by allergies asked, "Gosalyn, are you okay?" She turned around, meeting his blue eyes in confusion.

"Yeah, Honker, I'm…" and then she froze and the world was spinning away…

Honker Muddlefoot realized what was happening as Gosalyn's eyes rolled up in the back of her head. The stress of the past few hours had been too much for her and the adrenaline in her blood was finally dropping. She was passing out. Fortunately for the small boy, she fell forward into his arms.

"LAUNCHPAD! MR. DARKWING!" he shouted.

Launchpad came running quickly. "Honker, buddy, what happened?!"

"I asked her how she was and… and she just passed out," Honker answered, scared. _I should be the one doing this, not her._ It struck Honker at this moment that he didn't know as much about his best friend as he thought he did. She'd told him some things about her past and how she'd met her dad, but she'd never told him about Taurus Bulba. Launchpad took the girl's limp form in his arms and ran over to the SHUSH agents and Darkwing.

"Gos! LP, what..?" Darkwing asked, very worried.

"She just fainted," the bigger duck explained. "Probably from what happened, DW." A few of the SHUSH medics raced over with gurneys, one for Darkwing as he had two broken legs from a previous injury and one for the unconscious little girl. Launchpad laid Gosalyn down gently onto one gurney and helped Darkwing onto the other.

"We'll take you both to SHUSH headquarters," one agent said. "Are these two..?"

Launchpad, having worked for SHUSH's sister agency, the Duckberg Intelligence Agency (DIA) and SHUSH itself, said with confidence, "Yeah, I have clearance and this kid's a witness," laying his hand on Honker's shoulder. The agent nodded. Gosalyn was loaded onto a huge SHUSH transport vehicle before Darkwing was, giving the superhero some time to give his sidekick some instructions without being overheard.

"LP?"

"Yeah, DW?" Launchpad asked in a quiet voice.

"We're going to need to get in contact with the Justice Ducks."

"Okay. We can do that at SHUSH, can't we?"

"Yeah… But…" Darkwing took a deep breath, and over a year of being his sidekick and housemate made Launchpad realize that what his friend was about to say would be extremely difficult. "We've got to call Herb and Binky…"

**END CHAPTER ONE**

_Oh, a cliffhanger! Unlike Disney, I will actually resolve this one…__ I know some of you are going to say Gosalyn wouldn't faint, but then again, in "The Steerminator," the Gosalyn we saw froze with fear and Honker had to act to try to save him and Gosalyn both. Even the strongest child has her limits. I hope this story is good enough to continue. Read and review, pretty please?_


	2. Upheaval

Chapter II: Upheaval

_Hello again, DW world fans! I was pleased that within a short time of posting this fiction and getting only three hits, I got a review! Thank you, pottersparky!__ And DarkwingFan, thanks for the words of encouragement. __And acosta perez jose __r__amiro, thanks! __As promised, I am continuing. __This is definitely fouling up continuity because in my head, I think "The Steerminator" __should've been a season finale…_

_Recap:__ Gosalyn has passed out in the arms of Honker Muddlefoot after the events of "The Steerminator." The incident has clearly shaken her and her father, Darkwing Duck, a.k.a. Drake Mallard. He has chosen to call his fellow superhero allies, the Justice Ducks, and Honker's parents, Herb and Binky Muddlefoot. What will this all result in? Stay tuned!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot, folks!_

Rather than wake Gosalyn Mallard, the SHUSH medical people placed an IV in the little girl's arm and injected a tranquilizer. She would sleep, not only all the way to SHUSH headquarters, but also for several hours because of this. Darkwing Duck, otherwise known as Drake Mallard, had just been loaded onto the intelligence agency's transport van which doubled as an ambulance and looked at his unconscious little girl.

_I failed her…_ Logically, he knew this wasn't true, but the father in him couldn't help but feel that way.

_You didn't fail her; what could you have done?_

_I could've at least told her that Bulba was back, and maybe she wouldn't have been so scared…_

_But would she have handled it any better?_ the voice probed. Darkwing had to wonder at that.

Meanwhile, in another transport vehicle, Launchpad McQuack and Honker Muddlefoot sat. To the untrained and clueless, it might have looked as if the two were contemplating their respective shoes. Finally, Launchpad spoke.

"Honker… you saved her life today, you know that, buddy?"

"I did?" Honker asked.

"Yeah," the grown-up duck answered. "From what DW told me, you acted when Gos was frozen. He would've killed you both…"

"But he captured us…"

"What'd you do when you were captured, though?" Launchpad asked gently.

"I told him we were Darkwing Duck's biographers," the boy answered.

"You kept him talking, didn't you? That's what you're supposed to do, little buddy. You kept your head and you kept yourself and Gos alive until we could get there." Honker smiled at this and then sobered.

"You guys were talking… What was it about?"

Launchpad had talked to Darkwing about telling Honker his parents were going to be called. They had both decided that unless Honker brought it up in any way, they'd tell him at SHUSH. _Well, so much for that,_ the large duck thought.

"Honker, we were talking about calling your mom and dad. I know we didn't want to tell them who DW really is, but we can't avoid that anymore. Look, you could've been killed today and… Herb and Binky have right to know. Especially since Bulba's probably going to make you a target."

"Launchpad… I knew what I was getting into…"

"Little buddy, you're ten. I'd like to see you grow up…" Launchpad ruffled the boy's hair affectionately. "That means we've got to do what we can to keep you safe. And that means we have to tell them what's been going on…"

"But I might not see Gosalyn again!"

Launchpad somehow felt strongly that this wouldn't happen, but realized it was a possibility and lying to the boy would be wrong. "That's a possibility, Honker, but… somehow, I don't think it'll happen. The Justice Ducks will be coming too, and your mom and dad know Morgana now, so I think it'll be okay." Honker seemed comforted by this, but couldn't help being a little worried. Binky Muddlefoot was a loving mother, but she was just a bit overprotective at times…

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWD

"All right, bring them into my office," J. Gander Hooter commanded his agents. The head of SHUSH had a presentiment that his best non-agent needed to talk to him immediately and had asked that Darkwing be brought into his office. But Darkwing had said he would not be separated from the little girl that had been brought to the headquarters with him. J. Gander knew all too well why but he had never told the caped crusader.

"J. Gander?" Darkwing said as his sidekick wheeled him into the room and Dr. Sarah Bellum wheeled the gurney carrying the unconscious duckling girl into the office. "Thank you."

"Quite all right, Darkwing. Oh, her outfit seems a fright. Does she usually sleep in a nightgown or pajamas?"

Launchpad answered. "She usually has sleepshirts. Why?"

"My grandchildren sometimes sleep here, so there's a room where you can give her a clean pair of sleep clothes and a warm bed."

"Thanks, Director Hooter," Launchpad said, picking Gosalyn up from the gurney and carrying her into the little room. He laid her down onto the soft bed which was covered in a simple gray comforter, and went to the drawers for a nightgown, sleepshirt or pajamas. He selected a lavender nightgown with minimal frills (knowing Gosalyn would be very unhappy if she woke up looking too girly), pulled her sports jersey top off of her, and quickly pulled the nightgown on her. He picked her up, opened the bed and tucked the little girl safely in. "Sleep well, Gos. You're going to be okay," he whispered and headed back out into the main office.

"I'm glad you're both back out here," the SHUSH director said. "I assume it's quite all right if this young man is here," he said, indicating Honker.

"Yes, J. Gander, it's all right," Darkwing said, looking at the little old duck with the gray fringe of hair and dressed in the three-piece suit, feeling comforted somewhat.

"Darkwing, my boy, do you need to make contact with anyone at the moment?"

"Yes, I do."

"Launchpad?"

"Oh, yeah. I'll call Gizmoduck, DW. You can call everybody else, I guess."

"Thanks, LP… Thanks, J. Gander."

J. Gander himself wasn't sure how to broach what he knew about the superhero's life and the little girl sleeping in his grandchildren's inner sanctum, but he would find a way. But this moment was not the time.

A few miles away in Duckberg, a telephone rang at the McDuck Mansion. "Hello? This is Scrooge McDuck. Who is this?"

"Mr. McD?"

Scrooge McDuck almost dropped the phone. "Launchpad?! Laddie, why are you callin' here?"

"I need to talk to Gizmoduck. It's urgent, Mr. McD. Please, can you...?"

"Hold on, laddie. He's here at the mansion. Just a second." Scrooge set down the phone, and looked across his desk to Fenton Crackshell, his trusted accountant and the true identity of Gizmoduck. "Fenton, it's Launchpad. He says he needs to talk to Gizmoduck, lad. He says it's urgent."

"Blabbering… all right, sir. Hello, Launchpad," Fenton said, changing his voice from normal to hero in an instant, the result of a few years of practice. "What's going on, friend?"

"You need to get to St. Canard right away. Something really bad happened and we need the Justice Ducks, and that includes you. Can you get out ASAP?"

"Of course. What happened?"

"An old bad guy who we thought was dancing with the devil down in… you know where… came back because FOWL turned him into a cyborg. They thought they could control him, but they couldn't and… he wanted to get at DW and Gosalyn. She's not okay and we need everybody so we can figure out what to do. Can you be here?"

"I'll be there shortly, friend," Fenton said, and hung up after they said goodbye. "Mr. McDuck, I have superhero business."

"I understand, lad. What's wrong?"

"Apparently, a bad guy went after Launchpad's housemate's daughter."

"Oh, Gosalyn. She seems like such a spirited little lass, judgin' by what he's told us in his letters. Is the little girl all right?"

"She's really shaken up. They're trying to figure out what to do and the Justice Ducks are being recalled. This is a major emergency."

"All right, lad. You go and help. But before you do, let me go talk to the kids." Scrooge headed to the rooms of his three nephews, his surrogate niece and his two adoptive sons, asking them to send something to help Gosalyn feel better. Huey, Dewey and Louie selected a baseball bat, a new glove and a ball signed by the Duckberg Mallards baseball team, while Bubba McDuck, a cave duck from 1 million BC, picked a picture he'd colored in his special education first grade class. Gene McDuck, formerly the genie of Collie Baba's magical lamp, sent a mug he'd made in his ceramics class. And Webigail Vanderquack, popularly known to the world as Webby, selected a pink baseball cap that she'd never worn because even at 12, she still preferred a pink hair ribbon in her now-golden curls. Furthermore, she knew from Launchpad's letters that Gosalyn was definitely not a girly girl, so something sportier was called for. Fenton, explaining to the boys and Webby that these gifts would be given to Gizmoduck and the superhero would take them to the little girl. No sooner had Fenton Crackshell exited the mansion when he yelled out "Blabbering Blatherskite" and transformed into the robot armored superhero, Gizmoduck. _I'm coming, guys, _he thought as he activated his Gizmo-helicopter and flew to St. Canard.

Meanwhile, back in St. Canard, Darkwing dialed the number of his girlfriend, Morgana Macabre. "Hello, Macabre residence, Morgana speaking…" the lovely green-eyed bouffant-wearing witch greeted.

"Morgana, it's me…"

"Dark, darling, hi! What's wrong?" She could hear it in his voice and knew something was terribly wrong. They had been dating long enough that she could read his voice.

"Babe, you need to get to SHUSH headquarters now…"

"Not the Tower?"

"No. The Tower's not safe right now. I'll explain what's happened, but you… Morg, I need you here. I can't do what I have to do alone."

"Honey, tell me… are you all right?"

"No… Gosalyn…"

Morgana's heart almost stopped. When she'd found out who Darkwing was and met his nine-year-old daughter, she'd fallen in love with that child almost instantaneously. Gos even looked like her as a young child, with the exception of the outfit and the red hair. "Is she…?"

"She's not hurt… physically, but… emotionally, she's a mess… Morg…"

"I'll be right there!" She quickly hung up the phone, had her relatives cover for her at her restaurant, grabbed her Nimbus 2000 broom and flew to SHUSH in five minutes. She raced into the building, into the director's office, and hugged and kissed her beloved. "Where's..?"

"Knocked out," the worried father explained. "I never thought I'd have to tell you about this guy…" He quickly told her about Taurus Bulba and all that had occurred.

"So he's tried to kill her before?" Morgana asked, sad and horrified. To her surprise, there were tears forming in her love's eyes.

"Morgana… why does she have to suffer like this? Gos… she's still a little girl. And tonight, she wasn't my tough little girl." The pretty witch, at a loss for words, hugged the superhero.

"Dark," she said finally, "I wish I had a spell to undo what she's feeling, but I don't. So what else do you have to do?"

"I have to call Herb and Binky. Honker could've been killed. He saved Gos when she froze up because of that monster. I have to tell them… everything…"

"Everything? You mean..?!"

"Morg… I've got to…"

"It's tough being a parent," J. Gander Hooter observed softly.

"What? J. Gander…"

The old duck looked calmly at the younger ducks. "Darkwing… I've known for quite a long time who you are as a civilian, my boy. You see, I knew Gosalyn's grandfather and I saw her when she was very small. When he died, I tried to keep track of her as best I could and when she was adopted, I had to know who adopted her, if he was a good man. And it didn't take much to realize that Drake Mallard and you were one and the same. You're doing an exemplary job with her, and she loves you. And right now, you're doing what is right, even though it hurts. It'll be all right."

Darkwing couldn't talk for a moment. J. Gander Hooter treated him as a son at times, and right now, he was glad of it. "Thank you, J. Gander," he said softly.

"No problem. Now, do you need to make a phone call?" Darkwing nodded and the SHUSH director wheeled him back to the desk so the superhero could make his phone call…

At the Muddlefoot residence, Binky Muddlefoot was content in the knowledge that her son was over at the Mallards, hanging around with Gosalyn. Sure the little girl was not always ladylike, but she was a good girl, Binky reasoned. Binky looked like a housewife of about thirty-five to forty years previously, right down to the Ducky Reed pearls, apron and dress. Her youngest son looked almost exactly like her, except that he needed glasses. Her husband, Herb, was rather on the chunky side, wore Hawaiian shirts and sometimes resembled the father on "The Quackstones." Right now, he was watching a football game with their older boy, Francis, otherwise known as Tank.

Then the phone rang… "Good evening, Muddlefoot residence, Binky speaking," she said in her trademark sunshiny cheerful voice… "Oh, hi, Drake… Yes..? You're where..? You need us to come? Why..? WHAT?! Oh, my! Of course, we'll be right there! HERB!" Binky shouted.

Herbert Muddlefoot, Senior sat up from his La-Z-Duck easy chair. "Binky, honey, what's wrong? Is something the matter with Honker?" Now Tank sat up.

"Mom? What's wrong?" Despite his consistent bullying of his little brother, Tank loved Honker. "Is Honker okay?" Binky took a deep breath and answered her elder son and husband as best she could. They quickly piled in the family station wagon and headed down to SHUSH headquarters.

Meanwhile, all members of the Justice Ducks had arrived at SHUSH. Gizmoduck didn't take long to arrive from Duckberg and had just happened to find Neptunia, a fish who'd transformed into St. Canard's equivalent of Aquaduck and now protected the world's oceans, and Steggmutt, a stegosaurus who once was a duck but had been transformed by a mad scientist.

"So, Darkwing, what's up," the fish female asked, walking around in an aquarium suit that Dr. Bellum had invented which kept Neptunia pleasantly wet. "Gizmoduck said it was urgent."

"Yeah, Darkwing, and where's Gosalyn?" Steggmutt asked, concern in his eyes.

"She's sound asleep, but just wait one more minute. Honker's parents and his brother are coming…"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Herb, Binky and Tank Muddlefoot walked through the door of J. Gander Hooter's office.

"Drake? Oh, Morgana, hi! Where's Drake? I thought he was here," Binky said. "Honker, what's going on, sweetie?"

"Mom… Mr. Mallard is here," Honker said softly. "There's something we need to tell you, but… I couldn't tell you 'cause I pinky-swore Gosalyn I wouldn't tell…"

And Darkwing Duck came forward. "Binky, Herb… what I'm about to tell you, I'm telling you not as Darkwing but as a father who loves his little girl and realizes that there is a mom and dad who almost lost their son today without knowing it because the father of the little girl didn't want his secret identity revealed…" And so, with his fellow superheroes, friends and love with him, he told his daughter's best friend's parents and older brother the truth of all that had happened, removing his mask. He told them also of Honker's courage in the face of fire and how Gos likely wouldn't have survived the events of hours ago if the boy hadn't acted.

When he was finished, Darkwing looked at his neighbors, half-expecting them to lose their composure. Herb and Binky were quite simply dumbfounded. Tank, however, was the first to speak. "You faced down a cyborg bull, Honker?" He was looking both disbelieving and impressed at his brother, who nodded.

"He was going to kill Gosalyn. I couldn't let it happen."

The older boy walked over to his brother, and to Honker's everlasting surprise, Tank clapped him in congratulation. "Nice job. You're tougher than I thought."

Honker smiled. "Thanks, Tank." And for the first time since they'd been really little boys, the brothers hugged.

Binky finally came out of her dumbfounded state to talk. "Drake… you really couldn't tell us…"

"No," he said, "the more people know who a superhero really is, the more it's dangerous for everyone concerned. But I can't afford to not have you know anymore. I'll understand if you two want the kids apart or you absolutely detest us now…"

Then Herb spoke up. "Drakester, we couldn't detest you guys even if we tried. And Gosalyn's such a sweetie, we all want to protect her, you know? Binky and I would've loved to have a little girl, but having her next door is the next best thing."

Drake Mallard, also known as Darkwing Duck, smiled, relieved at this development. "Thanks, guys. And I guess I can tell you how Morg and I met… It's kind of funny, actually."

The heroes and civilians chatted for a little bit, trying to be casual, despite the seriousness of the situation. And then Morgana got up. "I'm going to go in and sit with Gosalyn, all right?" Darkwing squeezed her hand.

The graceful tall witch glided into the small room where Gosalyn lay soundly sleeping. She sat down next to the little girl and brushed her bangs a little bit. "It's all right, sweetheart. I won't let him hurt you." She gently removed the elastic bands from Gosalyn's red hair, letting the child's pigtails flow free. "If he wants to hurt you, he has to go through me first. I won't let him hurt you. Gos… I love you so much, angel…"

Darkwing, listening just outside the door, realized anew this was one of the many reasons why Morgana Macabre was the only woman he'd ever want to marry. They loved each other, but she also loved his daughter. "How serious are you guys?" Gizmoduck, now known to Darkwing as Fenton Crackshell (somehow, Launchpad hadn't been surprised at this), asked.

"Really serious. I'm doing some shopping," he answered quietly but significantly.

"Gotcha. What do we do now?" the alloy-clad hero asked.

"Everyone, as soon as Gos wakes up, we talk to her. LP, Morg and I will go first and then if Gos is ready, we'll bring her out." Everyone nodded and they were in for a long wait…

**END OF CHAPTER 2**

_Wow! Chapter 2 is done! That was a long one! Maybe I've watched "The Simpsons" too often, but I think I've translated the Muddlefoots as a cross between the Cleavers and the Flanders family. I think Darkwing, as Drake, gets frustrated with them at times, but they're the best sort of neighbors to have when you're in trouble. And when you stop to think about it, Honker has nearly been killed on more than a few occasions on missions. I have a feeling that it's crossed Darkwing's mind on more than one occasion that someone's child might not have come home because of his line of work, and when his own child is in major jeopardy, it really __hits him. That's why I felt Herb and Binky had to know. Tank would find out, so he had to be included. He reminds me of Wayne, the big dumb older brother on "The Wonder Years" because he really bullies Honker, but if something were to happen, the brothers, I think, would help each other._

_Well, the word is out. But Gosalyn is still sound asleep due to a drug. What will happen when she wakes up? Stay tuned for Chapter 3 of "Waking Nightmare!" Read and review!_


	3. Rage and Pain Part I

Chapter III: Rage and Pain, Part I

_Hello, again, faithful fans of the Terror Who Flaps in the Night! And thanks again to DarkwingFan (whose M-rated fic is pretty good, though very intense!), pottersparky (who noticed my Harry Potter in-joke__—yes that was a Nimbus 2000 like the boy wizard's__) and acosta perez jose ramiro for their encouraging words and suggestions! And welcome, Pesterfield! I'm always glad to h__ave people put me on an alert__ list. I'm not sure now how long this fic will go now (originally, it would've ended with this cha__pter) because of the interest__ and suggestions to what I hadn't initially thought about using__. I'm really curious as to how many of you are overseas fans and/or fans who watched the series first-run when it aired from 1991-1993._

_This next part might be a bit long because Gosalyn's really out for a bit, having been given a strong sedative. So we're going to see first how the people around her cope with their emotions. Launchpad will definitely be a bit dark for him._

_Disclaimer: Peach Wookiee doesn't own Darkwing Duck or any other Disney characters. If she did have control of Disney, certain straight-to-video movies would never have happened… On with the show!_

In the small bedroom off of J. Gander Hooter's office, Morgana Macabre sat with two elastic hair bands held in her left fist. The black-haired green-eyed female duck, wearing a long red dress, brushed her right hand against the now-free flowing red hair of the sleeping duckling girl lying on the bed, clad in a lavender nightgown. She had been sitting here for over an hour just watching the little girl's chest rise and fall. _What can I do?_

Morgana was so intent on watching her boyfriend's daughter that she didn't hear another person enter the room. "It's scary, isn't it?" Binky Muddlefoot asked, sitting down by the younger woman.

"Oh, Binky, you startled me!" Morgana whispered, still brushing Gosalyn Mallard's red tresses, and then she realized she was still holding the hair bands in her fist. Morgana quickly put the bands in a pocket on her dress. "Yes, it's scary. I don't want to lose her."

Binky nodded. "How are you holding up, dear?"

"I… Binky… she's still a baby. How can anybody want to hurt her, much less kill her?"

"I wish I knew. I've been a mommy for 13 years now, and I can't understand how anybody can look at a child and want to consciously hurt him or her. Honker and Tank are the lights of my life."

"Dark feels terrible that he put Honker in danger like he did…"

"Morgana, I'm not mad at either of them. Honker has grown up thanks to all of this, and over a year ago, he didn't have a friend he could share things with. And then Gosalyn came. These two fit together and I wouldn't tear them apart, especially not now."

The black-haired female duck regarded the blonde female duck for a moment. "I feel like I want to unleash every spell I have on Bulba, and utterly destroy him. And yet, I just want to stay here with her and hold her and tell her I won't let anything more happen to her."

Binky smiled knowingly in the twilit room. "I've felt the same way about bullies who've gone after Honker. Part of me would like nothing better than to go and give them the spankings their mothers obviously haven't given them. But then I have a little boy in front of me who needs me. I have to help him before I can deal with… well… um… rude kids who need their mouths washed out with soap." Binky struggled a little bit saying that, and though the situations were removed from each other, the emotions brought up were the same.

"Thanks, Binky," Morgana said finally, and the two women hugged. They remained sitting, sentinels over the small redheaded girl.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Launchpad McQuack was beginning to boil inside. He'd been sitting on the couch in the SHUSH director's office for a few hours now, and contemplating what had occurred. Gosalyn was no longer the brave happy girl she was. The security he and DW had been able to give her had been stolen in a few short hours. Sure, she'd been nabbed before by other villains, but in those times, she'd never been so frightened. And Launchpad was angry at the fact. Finally, he couldn't sit still anymore.

"J. Gander?" he asked.

"Yes, Launchpad? Is there something you need, young man?"

"Yeah. Is there a gym I can use for a little bit?" He said it calmly, but everyone in the office could see in his eyes and demeanor that Launchpad was upset.

"Yes. Go down the hall. Do you require a change of clothing?"

"Yeah. Do you have any karate outfits?"

"They're in the locker room. Off you go…"

Darkwing took a look at his sidekick, and asked softly, "LP?"

"I just need a bit, DW. Before I go nuts…" There was something ominous in how he said that, so Darkwing, rather than question his friend more, dropped it. Launchpad headed down the hall and to the lockers, and then into the gym.

Launchpad couldn't remember how long it had been since he felt this angry as he took a few deep breaths and looked at a punching bag. He could feel the hardwood floor beneath his bare webbed feet, polished by years of SHUSH agents. He could feel the cool, pleasant air of the gym caressing his hair, beak and feathers, but all he could see in front of him was the punching bag. The pilot and sidekick launched a series of punches and kicks into the bag. Oh, this felt good. He couldn't do it to that monster, but Launchpad needed to pretend for a moment that he could lay such a hurting on Taurus Bulba by pounding this punching bag. He kept up with his volley for what seemed like a very short time.

Finally, he sank to his knees, out of breath. He hit the bag one last time, and wiped the sweat from his eyes.

"You are the sidekick of Darkwing Duck, yes?" said a Russian-accented voice.

"Yeah," Launchpad answered, turning his head. Agent Grizzlikov, a former citizen of the now-former Soviet Union and as his name implied, a large brown Russian grizzly bear, was standing next to the six-foot-tall duck, his hand outstretched. "Hi, Agent Grizzlikov."

"I help you up. You have been hitting that punching bag for half of an hour."

Launchpad looked at the bear, shocked as he was helped up. "It was that long? I've never been so mad I lost track of time like that."

"You are angry? Usually it is your friend that… blows his stack, yes?"

"Yeah. It's just… we had a really rough thing happen."

"The little girl. She will be all right?"

"We don't know yet. She isn't awake yet. She's… practically my other little sister, and that thing… that monster came back out of the shadows and now she's scared, more scared than I've ever seen her."

Grizzlikov was quiet for a moment. He knew what Director Hooter knew about Darkwing, Launchpad and their friends and had been ordered to keep his silence. At first, that had been difficult. But after the incident on the desert island, he'd gained a healthy respect for the masked hero. Sure, he broke rules, but as the bear had learned in the American system, sometimes rules had to be broken in order to have a successful mission. The masked duck might not play by the rules of the SHUSH manual, but he was an honorable duck. And, Grizzlikov knew, Darkwing was a good papa to the small girl in his care. Likewise, Launchpad was a good caregiver.

"Come, comrade. Join me for a juice, yes?"

"Okay," the duck said, a little bit surprised at this invitation. They walked over to a juice dispenser in the gym and the bear grabbed two, handing one to the pilot. The tall duck took a long drink before he spoke. "Thanks, Grizzlikov."

"My pleasure, comrade. You need this relaxation. Comrade Darkwing will, as well. His little daughter is in trouble."

Whatever Launchpad had been expecting the bear to say, it wasn't this. "How… how did you..?"

"I know what the director knows, Launchpad, and I am pleased to keep my silence. Darkwing is good man and good father. And the little girl will be all right. She has love around her. I see and know this." The bear smiled, and Launchpad was able to smile back a little bit.

"I just hope it's enough."

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Darkwing Duck, aka Drake Mallard, sat in silence for a while as his friends looked on. He just couldn't get over the feeling that he'd failed his only child. He could protect an entire city, but in the course of a few hours, he couldn't protect his little girl.

"Drakester?" Herb Muddlefoot ventured. Darkwing sighed.

"What is it, Herb?"

"You're beatin' yourself up, aren't ya?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"To another dad, it is. I remember when Honker was really little. You wouldn't remember, but you fell off the couch and broke your arm, son. As I recall, Honker was trying to imitate his brother and I'd just stepped out of the room to get a root beer. I heard him screaming and Tank was screaming. I felt horrible that I couldn't have kept my youngest from getting hurt, but he ended up okay. I know this is different, Drake, but I think we feel the same."

"You didn't lie to him, though… I told Gos to stay put, but I acted like nothing was wrong. I thought she'd stay put and then she dragged Honker to my hideout and they found the Hoverquack. Then Bulba found them and I couldn't do a thing."

Herb considered this a moment. To most people, Herb Muddlefoot seemed like an average dull-eyed suburbanite and for all intents and purposes, he was. But right now, he had the wisdom of fathers. "You did what you felt you had to do to protect her, Drake. Think about it. Would she have stayed put if she'd known who you guys were on the lookout for?"

Drake considered this a moment, both as father and superhero. And then he shook his head. "She wouldn't want to be on the sidelines. I should've told her…"

Rather than say anything else, Herb sat down next to his neighbor and put an arm around him. "Just be there, and she'll be okay, Drake. She needs her daddy."

Darkwing aka Drake looked up at his neighbor. "Thanks, Herb."

It was at this moment Launchpad returned with Grizzlikov, looking a lot less tense. Binky and Morgana stepped out of the bedroom to see what was going on, and Honker took the opportunity to slip into the room stealthily.

His best friend laid sound asleep, beak parted as she breathed. Her hair was out of the pigtails and in the lavender nightgown, she looked pretty. He sat down on a chair right next to her and reflected quietly. _I won't lose you. I'm going to figure out ways to keep you safe, Gosalyn, even if I'm not cut out to be a superhero._ He took her hand in one of his gently.

"Gos? It's me…" The adults and Tank had been unaware that Honker had left the office and gone into the little bedroom until they heard his small voice, just talking to the little girl. "Mom and Dad aren't upset. Your dad decided to tell them what's been going on. They're not mad, so I can still be your friend. I would be anyway, even if Mom and Dad had tried to make me not hang out with you anymore. You're my best friend, and there's no way I'd let you face this alone.

"You told me about it when you told me who your dad really was and what happened. I know that guy scared you even though you thought he was dead, but we thought he was gone for good and couldn't hurt you anymore…"

Binky, listening outside, made a move as if to go into the room, but Morgana put a hand on the other woman's shoulder and shook her head. Binky understood and stayed put.

"Now, he's back," Honker continued, "and we have to face him. I'm scared, too, but you don't have to be brave all the time. We can be scared together, Gosalyn… I won't let him…" And with that, the small boy duckling's voice broke. He wept silently for a moment and then gained control. "I won't let him hurt you and I can figure out weapons if I have to. I know I can use my brain to save us. I promise you, Gos, he won't hurt you if I can help it." There was a set look in Honker's face that his brother, father and mother had never seen before. Binky instinctively knew that her youngest child had mentally matured by a great leap the past few hours, if not in the time he had known the little redheaded girl. And then he said softly, "I'll be back in a little bit, Gos." He gently laid her hand back on the bed, got down from his chair and headed out of the room.

To Honker's great surprise, his mother was right outside the door. "Sweetie… I heard you," she said, kneeling down and hugging him. "I am so proud of you, Honker."

"Mom? What--?" The 10-year-old was puzzled. "You heard what I said?" His mother nodded.

"We all did. But you kids don't have to be scared together and alone. We're all here with you." Honker looked surprised and considered his brother, who was looking at Honker quietly.

"What about you, Tank?" Honker asked without stuttering as he usually did. In fact, Honker had gone quite a few hours without doing it.

Tank swallowed. What he was about to say went against how he'd been to his little brother over the past few years, but in truth, it was at his core. "I'm always here with you, Honk, even if I'm acting like a jerk."

"Thanks, Tank…" And so they all waited together for a little redheaded duckling girl to wake up and know she didn't have to be scared alone.

**END OF CHAPTER THREE**

_Wow, that was long… for this story. For those of you who have read my Yu-Gi-Oh! story, "The Jedi League of Duelists," you know I can go a lot longer__ (shameless plugging—I want more people to read and review that fiction too!)__. I got typing and I realized just how long this chapter was, so you can look forward to chapter four when Gos awakens. This chapter focused on the adults and one young kid. Honker, I think, shows wonderful maturity for one so young__. His feelings for Gosalyn haven't changed beyond friendship, but there are glimmers of something stronger throughout the series. They probably ended up together, but Disney didn't show that later time, regrettably._

_Before any of you say anything, I made Grizzlikov a bit different. After he was stuck with Darkwing, I believe he saw the value in a superhero who doesn't always play by the rules and I wanted to reflect that. I hope you, loyal DW fans, liked this chapter. Stay tuned for part four! Read and review!_


	4. Rage and Pain Part II

Chapter IV: Rage and Pain, Part II

_ Hello, again, DW fans! The last chapter was a good deal longer than I thought. Again, I realized it was long (for this story) and perhaps it was better, ultimately, that the adults' and Honker's emotions were dealt with before Gosalyn's were introduced.__ Thanks to DarkwingFan for her review (and the second chappie of her fic is up—a very good fic, by the way!)._

_To recap: Morgana, Darkwing and Launchpad have all had people to help them through their feelings of pain and guilt. Binky and Herb Muddlefoot and Agent Grizzlikov have all aided them just by talking. And Honker… well, he's shown he's there for his best friend, no matter the cost. His mother has decided he's a lot more grown up than she thought possible. But Gosalyn Mallard hasn't yet awakened due to the sedatives in her system. But how will she be when she wakes up? Stay tuned…_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and a Darkwing plush toy._

Gosalyn Mallard felt as if she was floating in a dark place. She couldn't remember how or why she was here, but it felt good in this place. No pain, no fear, nothing… just the feeling of complete safety. And then she felt herself coming back to her body. _Where am I?_ she thought, realizing she was lying down on a bed. She breathed in, and it wasn't the scent of her own bedroom or the Tower. It smelled like an office and… _Morgana's perfume?_

Morgana was alone in the room when Gosalyn started to wake up. Launchpad and Darkwing were out in the SHUSH men's locker room, getting showers and freshening up quickly as neither man wanted to leave but Morgana had pointed out that they'd do the little girl no good if they looked like they hadn't slept in days. Launchpad had taken the hint but Darkwing had had to be coaxed (besides, Launchpad hadn't offered him much of a choice in the matter). Morgana said she wouldn't leave Gosalyn's bedside until they got back, and so here she was in the darkened room as the little girl slowly came to.

Gosalyn's green eyes opened and focused on the tall female duck in the room. "Morgana?" Gosalyn asked softly, "Is that you?"

"Yes, sweetie, I'm here…" And then Gos flung herself against Morgana, crying. The little girl was small enough she could be held as she sat on Morgana's lap. So the pretty green-eyed witch rocked the little redheaded girl, making soothing noises while she did. "It's okay, Gos, let it out, sweetie. It's okay to be scared. You're safe right now…" Gosalyn kept crying, alternating between silent tears and racking sobs.

Darkwing and Launchpad arrived back at the office within five minutes of Gosalyn's awakening and heard her sobbing. "She woke up?" Darkwing asked in a panic, hating himself for taking off.

"Just a few minutes ago," J. Gander Hooter confirmed. "Go in there and be with your daughter." Darkwing and Launchpad didn't need to be told twice and headed into the room, the tall duck pushing the shorter duck's wheelchair.

Darkwing silently put an arm around the woman and the little girl he loved most and Launchpad put his arms around all three of them. Gosalyn abruptly stopped sobbing when she realized who else was there. "Daddy? Launchpad?"

"Gos, it's okay. We're all here," Darkwing said.

"Yeah, kiddo, it's all right," Launchpad said reassuringly.

"No, it's not," Gosalyn said softly.

"Sweetie, what..?" Darkwing asked, confused.

"It's never going to be okay again."

"We're not going to let him hurt you…" Launchpad tried again.

"That's what I'm afraid of… He's just going to kill you and I'm going to be alone again!"

"Gos…" Morgana tried, but the little girl began to shriek.

"JUST LET HIM KILL ME AND THEN HE WON'T HURT YOU! I DON'T WANT ANYBODY DEAD 'CAUSE OF ME!" But Morgana remained calm. She cast a silent spell, willing the little girl to calm down and held the child close to her.

"Gos, look at us. We are not going to let him hurt you. And he won't take us down without a fight."

"Grandpa said he wouldn't let anyone take him down without a fight…" Gosalyn said, the emotion suddenly coming out of her voice and becoming strangely monotone. "Bulba and his goons tortured Grandpa to death for the arming codes. They didn't know I saw. They didn't even know I was there. I heard Grandpa screaming… and he was limp in the chair, and he was all bloody…" She held onto Morgana again as if the woman was a life preserver on the Titaniberg and again cried.

And the little girl continued, "My first mom and dad said they'd keep me safe, and they got killed in a car crash. Some guy was drunk and they couldn't save themselves. I was in my car seat and I was okay, but they were crushed." She looked at the adults. "Those weren't my fault, but Dad… you almost got killed because of me. Bulba's gonna kill me, and if he kills any of you to get me, it's my fault!"

"Gos, he was going to kill you to make me give the code…"

"You didn't hear him… he said as soon as he got the code from me, I'd be dead. He would've just thrown me out the airship window. But I didn't know Grandpa had given me the code and I wouldn't have given it to him, no matter what he might've done to me."

"Gos," Darkwing said finally, "that doesn't matter. What matters now is keeping you safe from him. I can't promise that we're not going to get hurt, honey, but what I can promise is that we'll do our best."

"Dad, where are we? This doesn't look like the Tower or my room," she said.

"We're at SHUSH headquarters, Gos," Launchpad answered. "And the Muddlefoots are here."

"Wh-why?" the duckling asked panicked.

"Gos," Darkwing began, "after what happened yesterday night, I couldn't not let them know. Herb and Binky needed to know…"

"Then they know who you are?! Oh, Dad.." Gosalyn was starting to cry again.

"It's all right, and they're all right with it. In fact, they couldn't stop talking about how glad they are that you and Honker are friends, honey. It's going to be okay. Are you up to seeing some visitors?"

Gos nodded and noticed she was in a nightgown that wasn't hers. "When did I get dressed in these?"

"I did that just after we got you here," Launchpad offered. "J. Gander Hooter keeps this room and sets of night stuff for his grandkids here. He's known who DW was for a long time, so no harm there."

"Can… can I go out there? Morgana, can you carry me out there? I feel kinda woozy…" Gosalyn asked.

"Okay," Morgana answered.

"C'mon, you guys," Launchpad said, getting up and opening the door. Gos had her arms around Morgana's neck, and the woman supported the little girl easily. Launchpad, meanwhile, went back in the room and pushed his friend out.

Gosalyn, from the safety of Morgana's warm arms, blinked in the light of the office. Once everything quickly snapped into focus, she saw her next-door neighbors and other friends, including…

"Gosalyn! Are you okay?" Honker asked, looking up at her. Morgana sat down and set Gosalyn next to her so Honker could sit close and give the girl a hug.

"You still want to be my friend?" she asked, searching his eyes.

"More than ever," he answered. "You're my best friend and there's no way anything's going to tear us apart." His eyes had an intensity the little girl had never seen before behind his glasses.

"Thanks, Honker…"

And then Gizmoduck came forward. "Gosalyn, Scrooge McDuck's sons, niece and nephews all sent you a little something to help you feel a little better and to let you know you have friends in Duckberg, too." He held out the satchel that contained the small gifts and a card, which she opened first.

"'To Gosalyn,'" she read out loud, "'If you need anybody to talk to, we're all here. Gizmoduck can give you our phone numbers. Your friends… Huey, Dewey, Louie, Webby, Bubba and Gene.'" Then she opened the satchel. She smiled at Bubba's picture of a cave duck bashing a bad guy. Then she was happy to see Gene's gift of a mug she could put hot chocolate in. She placed Webby's baseball cap on her head and was decidedly impressed with the triplets' gifts of Duckberg Mallards memorabilia. "Tell them thank you for me, Gizmoduck and I'll call them to say thank you myself."

Then J. Gander Hooter came around from his desk, holding a small battered teddy bear. "Gosalyn… I know this might sound a bit strange, dear, but… I think you left this here a long time ago…" He handed the bear to her, and the redhead was puzzled for a moment as she turned the bear over and over in her chubby hands.

"Bunky!" she cried out suddenly. "I remembered losing him, but I wasn't sure where I lost him. Are you saying I lost him here, Director Hooter?"

"You couldn't have been more than four years old, but you were here with your father, mother and grandfather because your grandfather was so proud of his family, including his little granddaughter… You dropped the bear, and I somehow never got around to giving it back. I'm sorry, dear."

"That's okay, Director Hooter. I understand. Thanks for holding onto him all this time," she said, hugging Bunky.

And then Binky spoke up. "Gosalyn, can I give you a hug, sweetie?"

"Sure, Mrs. Muddlefoot." Binky gave her a strong hug, and the girl said, "I'm sorry we couldn't tell you before."

"Oh, don't worry, honey. Your dad wanted all of you to stay safe, and I understand that. But now we can all help protect all of you. And I owe you an apology, Gosalyn… I'm sorry I tried to make you something you weren't. You're a great little girl with or without ruffles."

"Thanks, Mrs. Muddlefoot." Then Herb gave her a big bear hug, agreeing with what his wife said.

"Are you hungry at all, Gos?" Launchpad asked finally, once all hugs had been given.

"A little, but I think I missed dinner," she answered.

"Oh, we saved some things for you, kiddo," Gizmoduck said, smiling, handing the duckling a Hamburger Hippo meal. Gos dug in, feeling quite a bit better all of a sudden.

"So what now? I guess we can't use the Tower for a while, can we, Dad?"

"No, we can't," he said, "but maybe I can fix something under the house…"

"You mean like Batduck?" Tank asked. "That'd be cool! Uh… Mr. Darkwing, can I help when you start building? I'm good with power tools! Just ask Dad!"

"I could figure out where to get some supercomputers, Mr. Darkwing," Honker added.

"Hmm… it could work…" the caped hero mused, "but I wonder if Bulba could find us now. I knew I should've left our phone number unlisted…"

"I could involve my boss," Gizmoduck offered. "I think if I pointed out it's cost effective for superheroes to have private state-of-the-art crime labs, Mr. McDuck might be willing to fund it here in St. Canard. It's worth a try, anyway…"

"Hey, Dad, are we going to go home tonight?" Gosalyn asked, and then yawned.

"You need to stay here one more night, Gosalyn," Dr. Bellum answered before the girl's father could speak. "That sedative I used on you was pretty strong stuff and since you're a kid, I have to keep track of you, okay?"

"Yes, Doctor Bellum," Gosalyn answered, already drifting toward slumber. The Hippo Meal was pretty filling, especially with her favorite strawberry shake added to it. This time, Morgana picked her up and carried the little girl into the bedroom, where Gosalyn fell asleep almost instantly.

"We've got a lot to figure out," Darkwing said when his girlfriend returned. "Avian Way might not be safe for a long time, for any of us," he said to the Muddlefoots.

"Oh, my," Binky said.

"Man…" Tank groaned.

"Hoo boy," Herb sighed.

"Just great," Honker sighed. "Is there any way I can move my science lab?"

Neptunia said, "If you weren't land dwellers, I'd offer you sanctuary in my underwater hideout."

Steggmutt sighed, "I wish my apartment was bigger."

Morgana grew thoughtful for a minute, then said, "Well, if you guys didn't mind, you could move into my place. It's really big. Think it over."

"Um… Morg? Could I talk to you in private for a minute?" Darkwing asked.

"Of course, darling…"

They headed out to a balcony at SHUSH headquarters that overlooked Audubon Bay. The wind was warm and light, which made it very pleasant. "Is this okay?" Morgana asked when she pushed her love onto the balcony.

"Yeah, it's great," he answered. "Morgana… I wanted to come out here with you because if we're going to live in the same house, then I need to talk to you about something…"

Morgana, for some odd reason, found herself nervous. She knew how serious their relationship was getting and wondered if the idea of their living together made him really nervous. "Okay," she forced herself to say calmly, "what is it?"

"I've been thinking… I've also been shopping…"

"Shopping? For what? Dark, darling, what are you getting at?"

"Well," he answered, scratching the back of his head a little bit, "I've been at a lot of jewelry stores lately, and I've been trying to find the perfect… engagement ring." He looked up at her, hoping she understood what he was wanting to ask her.

She understood. "Are you asking me to...?" She couldn't quite complete the sentence.

"Morgana, I was hoping I could pop the question in a few weeks when I was out of the chair, but if we're living together, I want it all to be good… I would've asked your father's permission, but…"

Morgana smiled wryly. "He doesn't like you. Well, that's his problem. Besides, he married my mother."

"Your mother?"

"My mother was three-quarters normal and one quarter monster, so that makes me half-blood. I got teased a lot, and Father kept trying to set me up with monster boys, but they didn't like me and called me a 'half-blood half-wit,' even though I kicked everyone's butt at Eldritch. You are the only one who hasn't cared about my powers or that I'm half-blood. My answer is yes…"

And the now-engaged couple kissed under the starry sky…

**END OF CHAPTER FOUR**

_Aw, I ended it mushy… Shall I continue? Read and review, if you dare!_


	5. Fear and Change

Chapter V: Fear and Change

_Greetings, again, DW fans! Thanks to __DarkwingFan (whose DW story about the dangers of chat rooms is a good warning to you kids—Dateline NBC shows perverts like that), pottersparky and acosta perez jose ramiro for their reviews! And welcome to texashoser and vickie224 who have put this story on their alert list! Thanks!_

_Well, last chapter, Gosalyn dealt with her emotions__ over Taurus Bulba being back and revealed that she saw her grandfather's murder (yes, I know that's not what the cartoon implied, but that's why this is a fan fiction). And Darkwing, after Morgana's offer to let him, Gos, Launchpad and the Muddlefoots live at her house, finally popped the question we fans would've loved to see on-screen. So what's next? Stay tuned!__ Warning: This is pretty intense._

--Dream Sequence—Gosalyn was running… St. Canard was on fire and around the little girl, people were dead and dying. _He_ had somehow gotten control of horrible weapons and unleashed them. The Justice Ducks and the Muddlefoots had stood tall to fight _him_, but they were all around her. Gizmoduck had pushed all his buttons to stop _him,_ and the armored hero had ended up on the ground, his helmet gone and a sharp piece of metal lodged in his head, eyes staring up forever at the burning sky. Neptunia had attempted to use her fellow sea friends to stop _him_, but now, they were all frying in a fire. Steggmutt had bought Gos, Launchpad, Darkwing, Morgana and the Muddlefoots some time to get away, and had been shot repeatedly. And then Launchpad had fallen in a hail of gunfire. The same fate had befallen the Muddlefoots, and Gos had heard Honker's terrified screams and then the dreadful silence. Morgana and Darkwing had raced to protect her, and then _he _shot them too.

"There is no one left to protect you," _he _said, _his _laser eye targeting her chest. "I would have waited an eternity for this… It's over, Gosalyn." He raised his gun-arm, and the gun fired… --End Dream—

Gosalyn woke up in a cold sweat. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room she'd been sleeping in. She remembered she wasn't in her bedroom at Avian Way, but at SHUSH headquarters. She heard her dad and Launchpad snoring, and slowly sat up, shaking the nightmare off. And then she became aware of another presence in the room.

"Hi, Gos. Are you okay?" Morgana Macabre asked softly. The redheaded duckling girl held up her arms to the pretty black-haired witch in response.

"You had a nightmare, didn't you, sweetie?"

The small girl nodded. "What time is it?"

The elegant tall female duck looked at her watch and answered, "It's about one in the morning, honey. Why don't I take you down the hall for a little hot chocolate? That always helped me when I had a nightmare when I was your age."

"Okay," Gos said, and Morgana picked her up. The pretty witch was as quiet as a mouse and got out of the bedroom and then the SHUSH director's office without waking anyone in the room. They made their way down the hall and to the SHUSH cafeteria which was open 24 hours as spy agencies keep strange hours. Morgana set Gosalyn down in a booth and got two mugs of hot chocolate.

"If you want to talk about it, sweetie, you can talk to me," the witch offered as she set the mugs down.

Rather than just talk about the dream, the redheaded duckling girl decided to notice how the hot chocolate was fixed. "Did you put whipped cream in, Morgana? Keen gear… I like this better than marshmallows." Morgana smiled at this.

"I guess I have some things to learn about you yet. If you're going to move in with me, I guess I'll have plenty of time."

"Yeah," Gosalyn agreed. "Did Dad say it was okay?"

"Well, yes he did. But we've got to figure out how we're going to move you. It'll be tricky, but we can do it."

"Morgana… Dad wouldn't have agreed just to move in with you… Wait a minute… did he ask you something a few hours ago?" Gosalyn prayed that she wasn't dead wrong on this, but she wondered if she'd jumped the gun. Her dad had asked her a few weeks ago if asking Morgana to marry him was okay, and the little girl had been hugely excited at the prospect and then Dad had had to go and break both legs.

Morgana knew Gosalyn was a smart little girl and knew that Drake had talked to Gos about the possibility, so she went for telling the truth. "Well, as a matter of fact, he did. Did he tell you what he was going to ask me?"

"Yeah, and… I said it was okay… because I think you'd be a great mommy!" The little girl came around from her side of the table, climbed up and gave the woman a huge hug. "I knew Dad would ask you if we had to move in together 'cause he wants you to know he wants you two to be together for good."

"Gosalyn?" asked a sleepy and stuffy voice. "What's going on?"

Honker Muddlefoot had obviously gone wandering from the office when he looked in the bedroom off J. Gander Hooter's office and saw that Gosalyn and Morgana were both missing. Naturally, after what had happened, the boy was worried that something was wrong and went looking for them.

Gosalyn climbed down from Morgana's arms and walked over to her best friend. "Honk, I'm okay. I kind of had a nightmare and Morgana thought it'd be a good idea if we got a cup of hot chocolate? Do you want one, too?"

"Um, sure," the yellow duckling said, taking his friend's hand as she led him over to a seat. "So is everything okay?"

"It's better than okay, Honker… Guess what?" And Gosalyn told her best friend about what her dad had asked… her soon-to-be-mom…

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Five days after Taurus Bulba made his presence known, Drake and Gosalyn Mallard, Launchpad McQuack and the Muddlefoots quietly left Avian Way to live (temporarily, everyone hoped) at Morgana's Victorian-style home. Gosalyn looked at the house as they drove away.

"It'll be okay, sweetie," Drake Mallard said, sitting in the back seat of the car with his daughter (Launchpad was driving the car). "This is going to be good for all of us. And… we're going to get this under control before you know it."

"Dad… I just wish it was better for Morgana…"

"Yeah, me, too…"

--Flashback, two days ago—Morgana knew what was coming wouldn't be pretty, but it had to be done. She had to tell her father what was happening with her and Drake, even if Moloculo was going to be upset. And so she quickly went home with her Aunt Nasty, alone, to let her dad know that she was marrying the great love of her life.

Moloculo was in his office when Morgana got home to the Transylvanian castle. She walked toward the office with a purposeful step she'd never had to use with her father before. She knocked on the door, and entered. "Hello, Father."

"Morgana," Moloculo Macabre greeted his daughter. "I wasn't expecting you to come home today! How are you, dear?"

"I'm very happy, Father, and I hope you can share in my happiness. Drake asked me to marry him and I'm going to…"

Moloculo was silent for a moment. "Morgana," he said finally, "he's a normal, and marrying a normal is beneath you. You're from one of the finest monster families of the Transylvanian area. Why are you marrying someone who has no connections here and is a normal to boot?"

"Father… I love him… Like you loved Mother…"

"That was different. She had monster blood…"

"But she was part-normal. I'm part-normal, Father. You know full well that no monster boy ever thought I was worth anything because I was half-blood. Drake could care less what my blood is, and if you'd just really get to know him…"

"He's a normal. What more do I need to know about him?"

Morgana sighed. "Obviously, you wouldn't care to know even if I told you. I love him and Gosalyn, and I am marrying him. You'll just have to accept it, Father."

Moloculo regarded his only child for a moment. And then he uttered the calm words that were more terrible to his daughter than any screamed curse. "If you do this… I have no daughter. You may be of my blood, but you are no longer my child. If you do this, you will not be of the Macabre clan. You will not inherit the castle when I die, and you won't be allowed to be buried here when you pass on. You will be on your own, as far as I'm concerned."

Morgana was, for the moment, speechless. Her father was actually telling her he would disown her if she married the one she loved. Part of her wanted to explode at her father as she had when he'd first met Drake, but then she decided it wasn't worth it.

In a preternaturally calm voice, she said, "Then I no longer have a family but the one I have in St. Canard. If you value the idea of pure blood over your own flesh and blood, then you're no father of mine. Land and titles mean nothing if you have no concern for everyone. I've learned in St. Canard that true justice and fairness are for everyone. You can be a monster, a normal or anything, and if you're a law-abiding citizen, you belong. People get to know you and they don't care about how much of a certain blood runs through your veins if you're a good person. My restaurant has succeeded and I had to move locations because of its success which is a good thing because Drake, Gos and Launchpad are moving in with me. Something happened and their home is no longer safe."

"Figures…" Aunt Nasty muttered, loud enough that Morgana could hear it. "The little normal couldn't figure out how to do magic…"

"What was that, Aunt Nasty?" Morgana asked dangerously.

"She tried an experiment in one of the classes at Eldritch and all she made was chocolate pudding! The whole class thought it was hilarious!"

"Did you stop them from laughing at her?" the pretty witch asked, eyeing her aunt suspiciously.

"I was having too much fun," the monster woman admitted, laughing.

"So you didn't help her at all… She is just a little girl!" Morgana shouted. "No wonder Beelzebub found her easy pickings! You humiliated her! Well, then, that makes this a whole lot easier… Don't worry about me, Moloculo, because I won't be darkening the doors of this castle ever again. And don't come crawling to me if the villagers ever again decide that you're a threat to them. Nasty, don't even bother returning with me. I will handle the restaurant myself from now on." With that, Morgana Macabre walked out of her father's office, deciding that she would never again return. She walked to her childhood bedroom (which hadn't changed a bit—her soon-to-be former family had left it as it was when she'd left for America), opened the handbag she had with her, cast a spell and took her things, including her mother's jewelry.

When she had gathered all her things, Morgana took a look around the empty place. _Remember this… and remember what love really is_, she thought. She left the room and headed to the portal back home to St. Canard. Darkwing was waiting for her.

"How'd it… Oh, Morg," he said, opening his arms. She collapsed into his warm embrace, sobbing. –End Flashback—

"Gos," Drake said, "it'll be okay, honey. We're here for her, and as soon as we can do it, she and I are going to get married. We'll all be okay."

"I hope so, Daddy."

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Moving in the Mallards' and the Muddlefoots' things into Morgana's house was fairly easy. Making sure everyone had the same ideas about scheduling use of the bathtubs and modesty was hard. On the first morning after the move, Morgana had forgotten she had houseguests and walked down to her large bathroom wearing nothing but a smile… that is, until Launchpad, walked out of his room in his bathroom.

"Good morning, Morga—AAAAH!"

"OH, GOSH!" Morgana abruptly remembered and ran back to her bedroom. Everyone else heard the commotion and saw the redheaded pilot standing in the hall, a bemused expression on his face.

"LP? What happened?" Drake asked, coming out of his room.

"Um… DW? Sorry…" Launchpad walked back in his room, still looking stunned.

"Morgana?" Drake called, heading down the hall to his fiancée's bedroom door, "Babe, is everything okay?"

Morgana, now clad in a very nice-looking black silk robe, opened her door and beckoned him inside the room. "I sort of forgot there were other people in the house, Drake…"

"And?" he probed, thinking how absolutely sexy she looked in that robe.

"Well, Launchpad accidentally saw me naked…"

_I wanted to see her first,_ part of him thought jealously, and then remembered that she'd been very embarrassed. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, but I'm a bit embarrassed. I guess we have to figure out our schedules to use the bathrooms and remind everyone to wear bathrobes."

"Good point," he answered.

It took a few days, but soon everyone had settled into life at the Macabre/Mallard/Muddlefoot household. Everything went smoothly… but as we all know, smooth running doesn't last forever…

**END CHAPTER FIVE**

_Oh, another cliffhanger! Some terror and some humor, with some family angst thrown in. I wish there weren't families like Morgana's is portrayed, but unfortunately, there are parents that would disown their children for marrying out of their race._

_I couldn't decide who'd accidentally get a look at Morgana… It was a toss-up between Herb, Honker, Tank and Launchpad, and Launchpad got the… honors. Not terribly original, I'll admit, but still kind of funny._

_So what's going to happen next chapter? You all will just have to wait and find out! Keep reading and reviewing, and please read and review my other fics, if you're so inclined…_


	6. Twists and Turns

Chapter VI: Twists and Turns

_Holy smokes! I don't know what I did, but this story has gotten a heck of a lot of reviews! I'm glad to know I'm doing right by the cartoon that holds a special place in my heart.__ Thanks to DarkwingFan (chapter 6__ of her M-rated story is up, and it is a good read), acosta perez jose ramiro, pottersparky, loonytunecrazy, and vickie224 for their reviews!__ I'm also honored to be on favorite author and story lists of quite a few people now._

_Well, to recap… our favorite couple has now moved in together… with a bunch of other people. Gos is predictably having nightmares. Morgana's father has disowned her, and because of this, the rest of her family (even members that may have been nice to Drake, Gosalyn and Launchpad) has made Morgana an outcast. So what will happen next? Just stick around, and I'll show you (Kudos to anyone who gets that line)!_

_Warning: This chapter contains violence, and references to __intimacy._

_Recommendation: You might want to listen to the "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" soundtrack by James Horner (the same man that wrote the score for James Cameron's "Titanic") when we get to the attack scenes. I'll tell you which tracks to listen to._

_Disclaimer: Peach Wookiee doesn't own Darkwing Duck or any other Disney characters._

Drake Mallard and Morgana Macabre chose to get married just a few days after the Mallards, Launchpad McQuack and the Muddlefoot family moved into Morgana's home. Rather than have a huge wedding that might attract lots of attention, the couple elected to quickly go to Las Vegas and marry at a small wedding chapel. Gosalyn was Morgana's maid of honor and Launchpad was Drake's best man. After the wedding, Gosalyn and Launchpad flew back to St. Canard using the Thunderquack so the newlyweds had their privacy.

Drake, aka Darkwing Duck, had wanted to be intimate with Morgana before they were married, but held back because he was a virgin himself and he didn't want to get that involved with someone since Gosalyn would find out about it and he didn't want her to think that intimacy was to be given to just anyone. Morgana, as beautiful as she was, also had no experience in that area. And so neither partner had to worry about the other's experience and how s/he would be judged.

Drake and Morgana were in the midst of enjoying their wedding night when the phone in their room range. Drake picked up. "Hello?"

"DW?"

"LP, this is my honeymoon. So why are you calling?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Launchpad said, having a very good idea as to what he was interrupting, "but Gos had a nightmare and she wanted to talk to you two, if that's all right…"

"Drake, what..?" Morgana asked, easing herself into a sitting position (after what had been her and her new husband's third time).

"It's Gos, honey, she had a nightmare… Hi, sweetie…"

"Hi, Daddy… I'm sorry I had to call you, but… the dream was really bad…"

"It's okay. Morg and I are both here if you want to talk about it…"

"It was the same dream, Dad. Bulba came and killed all of the Justice Ducks, then Honker and his family and then you guys. I was left alone and then he killed me. This time it was with knives."

"Gosalyn…" Morgana said.

"Yeah, Mommy?" Gosalyn had started calling the witch Mom in her head, and once it was official, the little girl called Morgana that just after her dad and the black-haired lady said, "I do."

"Sweetie, if that dream gets at you again, I want you to think about how you'd defeat him with or without us. I know dreams are scary, but you can fight them, all right?"

"Okay… I'll be okay… I love you guys."

"We love you, too, angel. Now go to sleep and we'll be back tomorrow afternoon. Good night."

"Night, Mom. Night, Daddy."

After the couple hung up from their daughter, Drake said, "Now where were we? Oh, yeah… let's get… intimate…" with a wolfish grin on his face.

"Again?" she asked, impressed and enjoyed the feeling, again, of his warm lips on her shoulder…

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

At first, everything seemed calm for the Mallards, Launchpad and the Muddlefoots. Morgana's restaurant downtown did fabulous business, and the kids went back to school (Tank to St. Canard Junior High, and Gos and Honker to St. Canard Elementary). Taurus Bulba seemed to have gone into hiding, and though the entire cadre of Justice Ducks was on patrol to find the cyborg menace, they'd been unable to. But unfortunately, the calm wasn't meant to last…

_Music for__ this part: "Surprise Attack."__Five minutes of freaky music!_

It was a sunny morning when Gosalyn got to school with Honker. She went to class with their third teacher of the year (it wasn't the little girl's fault that she drove her teachers batty), and was fairly calm. But then, as the clocks at the school showed 11:00 AM, an explosion rocked the school. Gosalyn looked out the window, and to her horror, Taurus Bulba was flying outside the school, shooting.

The teacher shouted, "Everyone follow me! We need to get away from the school!" Most of the students followed her… Most of them, that is except Gosalyn and Honker. The little redheaded duckling was frozen with fear again. Honker, fortunately, recognized his best friend's fear, and grabbed her arm. He had a basic plan to maybe distract Bulba or maybe take the monster down with a lucky shot.

"Gos, let's get to the science lab, I think we can stop him…"

Gosalyn blinked and came out of her frightened trance. "What can we do? We don't have weapons!"

Honker thought quickly. "I'll just need some baseballs, some tubing, a fire source and the chemicals to make gunpowder!" She nodded, and they ran out of the room.

Meanwhile, Taurus Bulba mused…

"Today is the day I will finish everyone who put me in this metal prison. That little girl is here and I will finish her and her friend. That caped buffoon will come to stop me, and I will finish him as well. Darkwing, my friend, are you not aware of the proverb that revenge is a dish that is best served cold? Ah… it is very cold in living death…"

He flew around for another volley. Meanwhile, Honker and Gosalyn reached St. Canard Elementary's fourth science lab, carrying a few baseballs from their class. It occurred to the kids that maybe they should use their emergency communicators (SHUSH had provided them so all members of the Justice Ducks and their civilian members could be in touch), but this was in the backs of their minds as they worked to assemble their makeshift weapon.

"Gosalyn, we have maybe one shot at this. So we have to hurry!"

"All right…." Gosalyn grabbed the supplies quickly, knowing too well her friend was right. "Listen, Honker, if something happens, we're best friends no matter what."

"Got it."

Bulba flew around, not bothering to shoot the teachers and children that were running from the school. He knew he could cause more terror by continuing to shoot at the building, and so he aimed carefully, where he could see some sort of heat source… And one of those sources was Science Lab Four. He aimed carefully, and unleashed his volley just as Gos handed the chemicals to Honker.

"ARRRGGGHHH!" Gosalyn shrieked, and the ceiling was coming down on Honker. She shoved him out of the way, and the debris hit her.

"GOSALYN!" Honker shrieked. To his horror, both their emergency communicators were damaged so there was no way he could get a message out. He moved the debris off her and knew she was badly hurt. Her beak was bloody, as was a gash to her head. Furthermore, he quickly checked her pulse and it was fast. That couldn't be good! Breathing a prayer they'd find him and Gosalyn in time, Honker grabbed what he needed…

Meanwhile, the Justice Ducks got the emergency beacon signals from the kids and raced to the scene. The school was partly in flames and the adult heroes were helping herd the people who'd made it out of the school to safety. The scene was utter pandemonium, and many adults who'd usually keep their heads were panicking.

"Everybody, this way," someone shouted, moving the people away from the building. Bulba seemingly ignored the heroes assembling and continued to shoot at the building, but he fortunately hit no other place that had people in it. Gizmoduck confirmed it quickly with his sensors.

"Dark, where's Gosalyn?!" Morgana asked, yelling.

"I don't know! I can't check with her class! I don't know where they are!"

"Darkwing," J. Gander Hooter yelled to make himself heard, "if we have a few minutes…"

"WE DON'T HAVE A FEW MINUTES!"

"DW! He's making another pass at the school!" Launchpad yelled.

Back in the science lab, Honker had laid out his supplies and was checking Gosalyn… "You've got to hang on!"

Bulba blasted at the school again. Children were screaming and crying and the adults weren't fairing much better. He kept shooting at the school, and the Justice Ducks could only watch as he kept firing.

Finally, Taurus Bulba said, "I will discuss terms of surrender if St. Canard is willing." The adults around the area were silent.

"Now what do we do?" Gizmoduck asked. "There are lots of innocent people."

For a moment, no one was sure and remained silent. Darkwing couldn't trust himself to speak for a second, his worry that his daughter might be… But then, he drew on a source of strength he'd never had to call on before, and found himself able to answer the other hero.

_Soundtrack: "Kirk's Explosive Reply."_

"Get them out of here, Giz. That's what you need to do," Darkwing said. Gizmoduck quickly evacuated the adult and child civilians with the help of some SHUSH agents. The members of the land-dwelling Justice Ducks (Neptunia was on duty in Audubon Bay and had to remain there) formulated a plan.

Meanwhile, SHUSH agents and superheroes alike began positioning themselves around the school area where Bulba couldn't see them. "I am waiting for my answer, and I give you sixty seconds to reply."

Darkwing sent Steggmutt to Gosalyn and Honker's teacher to find out if the two ducklings were among them. "We don't know where they are," Mrs. Waddler answered. "They were in the class when we left. I wanted to go back, but then an explosion kept me from running back!"

"Now that we have the civilians out of the way, maybe we can attack Bulba," Gizmoduck said.

Steggmutt asked the question that Morgana and Darkwing didn't dare ask… "What about Gosalyn and Honker? They're still in the school!"

"There's no way to communicate with them," J. Gander Hooter said sadly. "Their communicators are functioning as beacons, but we can't tell how they're doing."

Morgana looked at her husband, knowing he wasn't happy about what he had to say. "So we have no way of knowing… J. Gander, we have to try to stop him. What I think we should do is…" Darkwing quickly explained the plan, and people began moving.

Back in the school, Honker quickly concocted his gunpowder. "Gosalyn, I'm heading to the window. If he comes close enough, maybe I can do some damage. At the very least, I'll let the Justice Ducks know where we are. I'm positioning the gun now." He talked to his friend, hoping she could hear him and that she was strong enough to survive until their parents and/or rescue workers got to them…

The groups moved around the area with weapons training on the cyborg steer. "We'll hit him, Morg and with any luck, we'll get to the kids."

"Oh, I hope so…"

The agents, Gizmoduck and Steggmutt quickly moved into their positions and waited for signals from Darkwing and J. Gander Hooter.

The sixty seconds expired. "Do you wish to discuss terms, you non-mechanical cowards?" Bulba taunted.

"You wanted our response, Bulba?" Darkwing yelled. "Here it comes!"

That was the signal the agents and other heroes were waiting for… In flashes of movement, everyone moved… The movement was fast and furious and Bulba couldn't keep track of all of them.

"What is going on?!" Bulba shouted. He couldn't figure out where everyone was going!

In the school, Honker said, "FIRE!" as J. Gander and Darkwing ordered the same thing. Taurus Bulba found himself barraged by baseballs, bullets and other things he couldn't identify. And so he retreated, flying over the school and away… The agents of SHUSH cheered as the monster flew away, taking notes as to how he was damaged.

Shortly thereafter, two sets of worried parents and two big brothers raced into the school to search for their missing children.

"GOSALYN!"

"HONKER!"

"ANSWER US!"

As they turned the corridor, still yelling for the children, they heard a set of footsteps that indicated the person was carrying a heavy burden. Darkwing, Morgana, Launchpad, Herb, Binky and Tank looked up to see Honker carrying an unconscious and badly injured Gosalyn.

"She's hurt… I didn't know what to do…"

Taurus Bulba, meanwhile, monitoring the radio frequencies and hearing that a small female duckling with red hair was being raced to a local hospital, laughed maniacally in triumph…

_Major __cliffy__! I was listening to the Star Trek II soundtrack while writing this section, and the battle sequence has been rattling around in my head for the better part of fifteen years… I hope it came out okay in print. Anyway, read and review…_


	7. Pain Beyond Understanding Pt I

Chapter VII: Pain Beyond Understanding: Part I

_Hello, again, DW fans! Wo__w! Thanks to acosta perez jose r__amiro, loonytunecrazy__, pottersparky__ and DarkwingFan for their very quick reviews! This story seems to have taken on a life of its own and given voice to something that's been in my head for fifteen years. At a few months shy of 28 years old, I'm glad to finally have put that battle sequence along with the music I saw for it on paper. I'll admit that I didn't think of MacGyver when I first wrote what Honker did to try and protect himself, Gosalyn and St. Canard; I was actually thinking of Captain Kirk on Star Trek._

_So, our favorite little redheaded duckling has been injured… How is the group going to cope with this? Read and find out… Note: You might want some Kleenex._

_Disclaimer (again): Peach DOESN'T own Darkwing Duck or any Disney characters whatsoever. If she did, DW would've been picked up for at least one season more and had a movie._

If there was a Hell, the Justice Ducks, the Muddlefoots and certain SHUSH agents felt as if they were in it. Gosalyn Mallard had been raced to St. Canard Children's Hospital with major injuries. She had shoved her best friend, Honker Muddlefoot, out of the way when a collapsing ceiling was coming down at St. Canard Elementary, courtesy of the cyborg steer, Taurus Bulba. He had flown away when the Justice Ducks and SHUSH had come to the school to defend it and save the innocent people in it.

And now… had he seen Darkwing, aka Drake Mallard and his new wife Morgana Macabre-Mallard, their friend, Launchpad McQuack and the rest of the group, he might conclude that he had won. Gosalyn had just been sent quickly into emergency surgery and the doctors had looked very grave at her prospects. Meanwhile, someone had turned on the TV which had a special report going.

"And President George Herbert Waddler Bush has declared that should Bulba be seen, the military will shoot the steer down… We're receiving word that he is about to speak on this issue… Let's listen…"

The scene changed to Washington, DC and a kindly looking tall duck who looked a bit like J. Gander Hooter in the face came up to a microphone set up on a podium with the Seal of the President of the United States. "Good afternoon. Today in St. Canard, a terrorist attacked an elementary school in order to harm students. Four students and a teacher were killed trying to escape the school during the attack, and one child was severely injured. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends. The monster who did this is a cyborg named Taurus Bulba, created by the Fiendish Organization for World Larceny. However, our sources tell us that Bulba was not in their control after being revived. The military has been alerted and have orders to shoot Bulba down if they are able."

The president concluded his statement, and took questions. But the band in the hospital had no ears for the President answering questions…

"One of us should've been patrolling the school," Gizmoduck said softly. "I should've…"

"No, I should've," Darkwing said softly. "I'm her father and I should've protected her better. _I_ should've thought of that… I didn't he'd go that low…" He broke, his wife holding him in her arms.

"I should've thought of casting a protective spell over the school," Morgana Macabre-Mallard added quietly, tears coming to her green eyes.

"I wish I could've done something," Steggmutt added sadly.

Launchpad, unable to take much more of this, walked down the hall to a pay phone. A hospital worker stopped him and sent him to a private phone. The redheaded pilot dialed a number, connecting him to people who, at the very least, would calm him…

Miles away at a non-descript farmhouse with an airstrip and hangar, Birdy McQuack was fixing dinner for her husband of 36 years, Ripcord, and her 20-year-old daughter, Loopy. She hadn't heard from Launchpad in the past couple of days, but she wasn't too concerned. He kept her posted on the happenings in St. Canard. She turned on the evening news on her TV in the kitchen and saw the special report…

"Oh, my goodness!" Ripcord and Loopy came in just to hear the exclamation of wife and mother.

"Mom, what is it?" Loopy asked (having dropped her Valley Girl talk at the age of 17).

"Yeah, darlin', what is it?" Ripcord asked in his John Wayne-like voice.

"Something's happened in St. Canard at Gosalyn's school…" They sat down and watched in horror, then tried to get through to Launchpad. All they were able to do for an hour or so and were abruptly startled when the telephone rang.

"Hello, McQuack residence," Birdy answered.

"Mom, it's Launchpad," she heard her oldest child say in a clearly upset voice.

"Launchpad, honey, we've been watching the TV… Are you all right?"

"No… Gos was hurt… She's in surgery and the doctors don't know if she's going to be all right."

"Launchpad, what happened? It looks like the school was attacked. The news people said someone did…"

"Mom, it was this guy we thought was dead, but someone rebuilt him like the Six Million Dollar Duck, but evil. He wants to kill her, Mom… I'm… I'm scared."

Birdy thought quickly, and looked at her husband and daughter. Having known his wife for such a long time, Ripcord knew she wanted him to get their planes ready so they could leave for St. Canard immediately. "Launchpad, sweetie," she said when she knew her husband and daughter were heading to the planes, "we're coming, okay? Something tells me you need more than just to hear our voices."

She could hear breathing and what she knew was her strong son trying in vain to hold back his tears. Finally when he was able to talk, he said, just above a whisper, "Thanks, Mom. We're at St. Canard Children's Hospital. Love you…"

"I love you, too, honey. Ripcord," she said as she hung up and her husband and daughter came back through the door, "it's bad. I think we need to hurry. Gosalyn's in a lot of trouble." She quickly cleaned up, and the three went to their bi-planes and flew toward son and brother.

Back in St. Canard, Launchpad hung up the phone and headed back down to where his group was waiting. "Launchpad," Morgana asked, "is everything all right?"

"I called my parents, Morgana. They're coming. I need them here… If anything happens…"

Morgana stood up and walked over to the pilot. He was the closest thing to a brother-in-law she had and was glad at this moment that she had him. She hugged him and said, "I understand. I've never actually met your family… I'll be glad to meet them, finally. And… you're a good brother-in-law."

Launchpad smiled a little at this. He hadn't liked Morgana initially, but had warmed up to her, especially after he realized she really had given up her former criminal life. "Thanks," he said finally, hugging her back.

Meanwhile, Gizmoduck, aka Fenton Crackshell, made a few emergency calls to Duckberg. First, he called his mother who agreed to wait for someone to pick her up. Second, he called his girlfriend, Gandra Dee and explained that he had something very important to tell her. Then he called his boss.

"Mr. McDuck?"

"Fenton, lad, what is going on over there? We all saw the news and it looked like World War III! What's happened?"

"Gosalyn's the badly injured child, sir. She was just taken into emergency surgery and the doctors wouldn't discuss her chances. She was hurt saving her friend when Bulba attacked the school. It's… not good."

"Lad… is there anything I can do?"

"Get my mother and Gandra… I know you won't like this, but I have to tell Gandra… life's too short…"

To Fenton's surprise, Scrooge answered, "I understand, lad. If it's all right, I'll bring Webby and the boys, as well. They've never met the little lass, but they feel like she's their friend."

"Thank you, sir. Hurry…"

Scrooge McDuck hung up his phone with a heavy heart. He'd seen pictures of the redheaded little lassie who had charmed her way into Launchpad's heart, even though she wasn't a fairytale-loving little girl like Webby. He headed out of his office to Huey, Dewey and Louie's room where all five boys were congregated and Webby had just walked in to talk with them.

"Uncle Scrooge, hi," she said, looking up and hugging him. Webby had gone from little girl to young lady overnight, it seemed. She now had blonde curls all over her head, which were held in check by her ever-present pink hair bow. She still wore pink, but her dress was longer and she'd gotten some slight curves. She also had gained more perception, and so immediately picked up on her uncle's mood. "What's wrong?" He told all of them then.

"Bad man hurt girl, Scooge?" Bubba asked.

"Yes, Bubba. A very bad man hurt that little girl. We have to go to St. Canard, kids. Launchpad needs us, too."

"Then…" Huey said, speaking for him and his fellow triplets, "we need to get Doofus, too, Uncle Scrooge."

"Why him?" Gene asked. "Why him, Dad?"

"Doofus idolized him, Gene, and I think he still does. Make your call, boys, and hurry and get some stuff together. We canna wait for Duckworth to do it." The children, taking uncle and father seriously, moved to pack. Bubba secured his triceratops, Tootsie, in their special habitat on the mansion grounds, and returned to the McDuck limo. They left in a limo rented from a company that served both Duckberg and St. Canard. On the way, they picked up Doofus, a member of the kids' Junior Woodchuck troop, who was upset that his hero was facing a major crisis. They also picked up Fenton Crackshell's mother and his girlfriend. The ride was a silent one.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

As the hours passed, people arrived at St. Canard Children's Hospital. Five hours after Gosalyn entered a surgical room, the McQuacks arrived, hugging son and brother and the family he'd become part of as hero and close friend. Six hours after Gosalyn went into surgery, the McDuck delegation arrived. A male duck who had been a chunky boy wearing a coonskin cap and a Junior Woodchuck scout uniform and Coke-bottle glasses was now a young man with a barrel chest and had discarded the old blue uniform for the khaki one of a Woodchuck assistant leader flung his arms around Launchpad like the child he had been. Meanwhile, a young woman with blonde hair and a honeyed voice looked for her beloved accountant to finally discover he was the man behind the mask of a hero.

Eight hours passed from the time Gosalyn Mallard went into surgery. A doctor updated the waiting group, explaining that the little girl's injuries required the surgical team to do as much as they could in one shot which meant it would be a long time. At nine hours, another set of visitors came to the hospital. These visitors were greatly unexpected, and they had even debated coming for they were wanted men…

--Flashback, three hours ago—"I think we need to go there."

"You know what'll happen if we do…"

"We're something to fear in St. Canard, but even we have our limits. I may like to blow things up, but trying to kill a kid that way is something I will not do…"

"I've dealt with that kid before, and she actually had pretty good business sense…"

"And a real sense of fun…"

"I don't think she'd hurt plants and since I haven't caused any trouble for months, I don't think anyone would care…"

"I know who her father is. We went to high school together." One looked at the other, knowing in an alternate universe what had happened.

"So are we in agreement?" The other four nodded to their leader. "Then we'll go to the hospital. C'mon…" –End Flashback—

And so it was that the St. Canard media saw the visitors coming, one by one. The first was a duck dressed in a court jester's costume. The second was a dog dressed in yellow with what looked like an electrical plug for a hat. The third was a dog that looked as if he was made of water (which he sort of was). The fourth was a duck that looked to be part plant. He was carrying a potted mini rose bush. Finally, the fifth man was a duck dressed in yellow, and was the mirror version of the caped crusader who sat waiting for his daughter to hopefully be all right.

They came in with their hands up. "Negaduck!" Darkwing exclaimed, hand drifting toward his gas gun. "What are you doing here?!"

In the softest tones he'd ever used, the dark mirror image of Darkwing Duck said, "We're not here to fight. There are things even we wouldn't do." Negaduck sighed. "I sound like a wuss, don't I?"

Darkwing was dumbfounded for a moment. "Why?" he asked finally. "Why are you here?"

Negaduck and Megavolt exchanged glances, and then Megavolt said softly, "I know she's your daughter and I know who you actually are. Your hypnotism coin wore off after a couple of days. I remembered everything. Maybe I should've done what you did, rather than get so angry at the world… You're a better man than me…"

Negaduck added, "I'm your other half. I obviously know who you are…"

And then Reginald Bushroot, the scientist turned plant man said, "She's a sweet little shrub. Even if she foiled my plans."

Buddy Flood, aka the Liquidator added, "I would've trained her in business… crooked business, but business."

"I think she has great toy ideas," Quackerjack added.

"How's she doing?" Negaduck asked. "Not that I care…" he added in a more gruff tone.

"They're still working on her… They don't know if…" Darkwing couldn't talk.

"She's a tough little sprout. I think she'll make it," Bushroot said with a tiny smile.

Four members of the Fearsome Five left shortly after that. But Reginald Bushroot stayed, holding the mini-rose bush. "She can take care of it… I'll bet she has a green thumb…"

But it would be a great while before anyone knew anything about the fate of Gosalyn Mallard.

_Oh, another cliffy… Somehow, I think Bushroot changed. All he truly cares about is taking care of plants and since Gos has shown balance toward caring about the environment, I think he'd be kind to her. I know the rest of the Fearsome Five might seem a little out of character, but somehow, I don't think they could bring themselves to do what Taurus Bulba has shown himself capable of. __Even Negaduck has his limits…_

_Next time… We'll see how Gosalyn is actually doing. Read and review… please?_


	8. Pain Beyond Understanding Pt II

Chapter VIII: Pain Beyond Understanding Part II

_Greetings, fans of the "Winged Scourge that Pecks at your nightmares." I know I've said this before, but I am honestly surprised and honored that my story has gotten the attention it has! Thanks, all of you, for reviewing! It's nice to finally get parts of things that have been in my head for such a long time out of my head. And it's okay to like this cartoon, even though we're all grown up because we need to remember what it was like when we were kids in a different time when we didn't have to grow up too soon. But again, I digress…_

_Recap: Gosalyn is in surgery due to her injuries from saving Ho__nker. Launchpad's parents and sister, the McDucks and their delegation and even the Fearsome Five have come to see what's happening and offer their support. In fact, Bushroot has decided to stay while the rest of the Fearsome Five leave the hospital. Gos has been in surgery for over nine hours, and no one knows whether she will live or die. And so we continue…_

_Disclaimer: Peach doesn't own anything except a Darkwing plush toy and a collection of Ducktales plush toys._

_Music selection for this sequence:__"Instruments of Destruction" from Transformers: The Movie 1986. They don't make kid's movies like that anymore._

Three men ran under the cover of darkness to what they thought was a place of safety. One was a ram, while the others were bulls. "Keep running," gasped Hammerhead Hannigan to his buddies, Hoof and Mouth. Less than two hours ago, their boss's former secretary, Clovis, had been found dead, her bullet-riddled body indicating that she had died running away from something. The three men knew all too well, knowing that their former boss was alive (sort of) meant that they now didn't have long to live. And then they heard his rockets. So they ran for their lives.

"I know you three are here," Taurus Bulba said dangerously, his voice sounding like that of the devil himself, "and that you allied yourselves with those who did this to me. So you might wish to come out and spare yourselves what happened to dear Clovis…" However, the three men didn't believe that Bulba would make their deaths quick and relatively painless. And he didn't. As they ran, Bulba aimed for their legs. They were each brought down that way, and Hammerhead, as he heard his buddies scream for mercy, reflected that he should never have been as he was. He'd killed an old man, and a year later, been prepared to kill the man's granddaughter (though he didn't really want to—she seemed like a sweet kid). He'd been raised to be better than this. His parents and the clergy had taught him that murder and the life he later led only came to ruin. You had a chance for redemption, and he now asked for forgiveness, meaning it. However, he knew that whatever happened in the next couple of minutes was his punishment in this world for the evils he had done.

Hoof and Mouth had fallen silent after the hail of bullets. Hammerhead heard the strange footsteps of his former boss. "I told you once that betrayal had a high price, Hammerhead…" The man on the ground heard the gun being cocked. "And now, you pay that price…" The gun fired repeatedly and Hammerhead Hannigan knew no more in this world. Where he ended up in the afterlife would be decided by a higher power.

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Ten hours had gone by since Gosalyn Mallard had been sent into surgery. The group of superheroes, civilians and even a former bad guy sat, waited, prayed and worried. There wasn't a lot of chatter in the room now.

Bubba McDuck regarded Reginald Bushroot for a moment. "Are you plant man?" the little cave duck asked with wonder.

"Yeah, I'm a plant man," he answered, "and I can do a trick. Rosie," he said to the plant, "it's time to let that bud blossom." There were several buds on the plant and one of them opened gently and beautifully. "See?" he asked the young cave duck. Bubba nodded, awed.

Meanwhile, Doofus Duck sat next to his hero. "I missed you a lot, Launchpad," he said. "Junior Woodchucks hasn't been the same since you left. But I became an assistant scout leader!"

"Doofus, I always thought you'd do well with that," Launchpad answered. "Who took over when I left?"

"Fenton did. I guess we have a tradition for getting heroes to be our leaders now. I can't believe we've have Gizmoduck all this time. But… you're still the best…"

Launchpad, who deep down had felt some jealousy toward Gizmoduck, now realized there were some things that the armored hero couldn't replace him at. "Thanks, Doofus," he said, hugging the now-muscular kid. "Hey, when did you get the muscle mass?"

"I've been working out…" Doofus admitted.

Meanwhile, the heads of the Gizmoduck Fan Club were looking in awe at their hero. "Why couldn't you tell us?" Huey asked Gizmoduck, aka Fenton Crackshell. "We asked you."

"Your uncle made me promise not to tell when he found who I was. And it's dangerous for too many people to know a superhero's identity…"

"That's why you couldn't tell me, isn't it…Fenton?" Gandra asked, looking at the man she loved. "But I guess I should've known when Robotica kidnapped me and said you'd have no girlfriend and no job if she blew us up with the money bin…" Fenton blushed a little.

Mrs. Crackshell, fortunately having gotten dressed nicely, rather than riding to St. Canard with curlers in her hair and in her bathrobe and carpet slippers, spoke up in her voice that had been changed by years of cigarette use. "Fenton, I'm just glad you two finally know the truth. Now, can you get married so I can have some grandchildren?"

"MAMA!" Fenton yelped. Gandra blushed, but looked at Fenton expectantly. Fenton himself, having hoped that he could save up enough for a decent ring, looked back at his love. "Well, I was planning to ask you… but I was hoping I'd be able to do better than a ring from a box of Quackerjacks…"

Gandra looked gently at him. "Any ring is fine as long as it's from you. Fenton, I love you, not the things you can give me…" _Considering how much he pays me,_ Fenton reflected, _that's a good thing._

Scrooge McDuck had never felt really guilty about how much or how little he paid his employees until this moment. And then he remembered something he'd read in _Fortune 500_ about the richest goat in the world, Bill Goats. He ran a very successful software company in Washington State, not only giving his employees a living wage, but full benefits as well. Goats' employees could afford to better their living situations, and Scrooge realized that he wasn't setting a good example for the children in his care.

"Fenton, lad, you should be able to provide for your future wife and your mother and be able to move outta that trailer," the exceedingly wealthy duck said. "I've done you a great wrong the past few years. Your pay is hereby tripled. For both jobs, lad. You've earned it…" And the kids looked at uncle and father in shock.

"Um… Dad, are you feeling all right?" Gene asked, eyes wide with awe. Whatever he'd expected his dad to say, it wasn't this.

"Aye, Gene, m'boy, I'm all right. I've just been thinking at the fact that maybe I've been a wee bit too… thrifty with my money. I don't treat my employees well enough, and it's time I did. And Fenton should be able to provide for his family. I've had my money taken from me before, and I guess I didn't learn lessons quickly enough. So it's time I put what I learned into practice."

Fenton was admittedly stunned at this development, but not so stunned that he didn't get what his boss had just said in writing. He trusted his boss but wanted to be sure McDuck would stick with what he said.

And yet again, silence reigned over the waiting area as they waited to find out a little girl's fate…

--Dream Sequence—Gosalyn again found herself running through St. Canard, but this time, the Justice Ducks and everyone hadn't been mowed down yet. Bulba again trained his weapon on her. She'd tripped and fallen and had just gotten to her feet when he caught her.

"I'd have waited an eternity for this," he hissed. "It's over Gosalyn…"

And this time, the little girl pulled out a bazooka. "NEVER!" she shouted as she trained her weapon and blew him to Kingdom Come! She stood triumphantly as her grandfather's killer fell into Audubon Bay in a pool of blood and then was ripped apart by piranhas and sharks. –End Dream Sequence—

The last thing Gosalyn remembered was Honker, about to be crushed by a chunk of ceiling. She was floating in a dark place, and could hear her father's voice.

"Gosalyn? Sweetie, come back to us. I just hope you can hear me…"

Another voice… "Gos, it's Mommy. We're right here…"

And then another voice… "Gos… you'd better wake up…I'll have some chocolate pudding for you…"

Gos tried to move her webbed toes but she couldn't feel them. So she tried to move her hands. Her fingers moved, albeit jerkily. "Doctor!" she heard her mother shout. And then she heard footsteps.

"Gosalyn?" It was Dr. Bellum. "If you can hear me, try moving your fingers again…" Gos complied, and then tried opening her eyes. That took some work, but she managed to. "She's coming out of it… Gosalyn…"

It took some additional work, but the little girl had her eyes open and brought them into focus. Around her were her father, mother, surrogate big brother, and Doctor Bellum. They all looked so relieved to see her awake, and she noticed that Dad, Mom and Launchpad looked like they hadn't slept in a long time. "Dad, where am I?"

"You're at St. Canard Children's, sweetie. You've been out for almost 30 hours. You were in surgery for 16 hours and we thought…" He choked, unable to complete the sentence.

"You almost left us, baby," Morgana added. "And that was a very brave thing you did. Honker just had some scrapes and bruises thanks to you. I think he's stayed awake this whole time…"

Gosalyn tried to wiggle her toes again. "Am I tied up or something?"

"No, Gos, why?" Launchpad asked.

"I can't feel my toes. I'm trying to wiggle them, but I don't feel them…"

Dr. Bellum quickly moved to the bottom of her bed and drew back the covers, exposing Gosalyn's legs. They had been broken when the ceiling came down on them, but even the painkillers the little girl was on shouldn't have blocked all the pain. "Gosalyn, I'm going to prick your toes with this needle. Tell me when you feel something, okay?" The little girl nodded, taking her mother's hand and her father's. But there was no need.

"Do you feel anything now?" Sarah Bellum asked.

Gosalyn couldn't figure out at first why her parents and Launchpad looked so worried. "I don't feel it." Sarah moved the pinpricks up the little girl's legs, but Gos didn't feel a thing.

"Gosalyn, honey, I need to check your back a minute, okay?" The little redhead nodded, and Dr. Bellum moved aside the blankets, moved the little girl gently on her side and touched her back.

"Ouch!" Gos said when Sarah touched a spot on her lower back.

"You felt that?"

"Yeah, it hurt!"

Sarah Bellum moved her touch a little further. Gos didn't feel it. "Did you feel that?"

"Uh-uh…"

"Gosalyn, I need to talk to your parents and Launchpad for a minute, all right? They'll be right back…" Gosalyn nodded and Dr. Bellum made her comfortable and covered her up again. And then she had the adults step outside.

"What's wrong with our little girl?" Darkwing asked, looking very worried.

"Mr. Mallard… I can't be sure until the swelling goes down, but the way she can't feel the pain below her waist makes me very concerned. But temporarily at least, your daughter is paralyzed…"

_Yet another cliffhanger! When a bunch of rubble falls on you, you're lucky if you're not seriously hurt. So our little athlete and sweetie is paralyzed for the moment. How will she deal with it? How will everyone around her deal? You'll just have to keep reading to find out!_

_Keep reading and reviewing!_


	9. Fighting Back

Chapter IX: Fighting Back

_Hi, Darkwing fans! I seem to be on a roll lately, so I want to see if I can finish this story shortly. I started typing this as soon as I finished chapter 8. I can't leave Gosalyn hanging like that, now can I?__Thanks for the reviews, DarkwingFan__, acosta perez jose ramiro__ and vickie224!_

_To recap: Fenton and Gandra are engaged, Bushroot__ has tired of being a criminal, and Doofus has been happy to be back with his hero. Gosalyn finally makes it out of surgery, only for her family to discover that she has lost feeling below her waist. How will the group deal with this? Stay tuned…_

_Disclaimer: Peach Wookiee doesn't own any Disney characters.__ If she did, the Cute Little Lost Bunnies would be Ewoks!_

_Your daughter is paralyzed…_ Drake and Morgana Mallard and Launchpad McQuack felt as if the world they knew had just crashed down on them as Dr. Sarah Bellum, a SHUSH physician, told them that Gosalyn might never walk again. "How…how do we tell her..?" Morgana Macabre Mallard asked, aching for the little girl lying in the hospital bed.

Drake answered, rubbing the mask on his face. "I made the mistake of not telling her about Bulba. I think she needs to know now, so she's ready for while she recovers, or…" He struggled for a minute, trying not to imagine his sweet little girl who loved running and playing sports so much being confined to a wheelchair. "We have to tell her… It'll be easier on her in the long run… Dr. Bellum, when will we know?"

"The swelling will peak in another day. We'll probably know in two more days… do you want to go in now?" The three nodded. They would tell the group, of course, but only after Gosalyn had been told. Drake remembered how hard it was to take his first steps after the casts had come off. Of course, though, he had been eager to get them off and walk, as he and Morgana were looking forward to their wedding (and the wedding night). He hoped his baby would be able to experience that same nervousness when (he had to believe it was when!) she was able to walk again…

"So you're saying I might not walk again," Gosalyn said, looking at the three people who loved her most. "But you're also saying this may be temporary…"

"That's right, honey," Morgana said calmly. "Are you okay?" Something told the adults that Gosalyn was worried, but she wanted to hide it.

"I guess…If this is permanent… I can't be like you, Dad…" The fear in her eyes was obvious, and she couldn't hold back the tears. "I want to be Quiverwing…" She wasn't able to sit up because Dr. Bellum didn't want to chance Gos moving her back out of place. So her parents and Launchpad took her hands and hugged her that way.

"Sweetheart," Darkwing said finally, "somehow, it's going to be okay…"

"It'll work out the way it's supposed to…" Launchpad added.

Gosalyn gripped her mother's hand. Morgana wished she could cast a spell at that moment to take away her daughter's fear and pain. But she couldn't. All the new mother could do was hold her daughter's hand.

Twenty minutes later, the Mallards and Launchpad went out and told the group what Gosalyn's status was. "How is she taking it, lad?" Scrooge asked, visibly concerned.

"The best she can, Scrooge," Darkwing answered. "She's trying to be brave, but she's a scared little kid…" A very big part of Darkwing/Drake Mallard wanted to go out, find Taurus Bulba, and tear the monster limb from limb, douse his corpse in barbeque sauce and cook him over an open fire. Another part of him wanted to take Bulba to a desert and drop a bunch of A-bombs on him. But fortunately, Drake knew that those things wouldn't heal his little girl. And then he felt a huge hand on his shoulder.

"Drakester," Herb Muddlefoot said, "she's scared and you need to be her strength. I know how it feels to be a scared dad. Honker was born over a month early. The doctors weren't sure he'd be okay and Binky and I spent quite a few nights in the neonatal ward here. But Honker made it," he concluded, ruffling his youngest son's mop of blonde hair.

"Thanks, Herb," Drake said softly. "I think she might be up for visitors. I'll go check on her." But when he returned to the room, Gosalyn had dozed off, partly because of emotional exhaustion, and partly because of pain medication. Everyone, therefore, took the opportunity to go to the family relief area, a place where people staying with sick children could freshen up and get a little sleep. Everyone did that.

Before he went to bed, Drake Mallard went down to a little chapel in the hospital. It looked like St. Ignatius Loyola Cathedral in West St. Canard, but in miniature and without the statues of the saints. There was, however, a beautiful replica of the Virgin Mary holding Baby Jesus as well as a stained-glass window at the front of the chapel. Drake wasn't Catholic, but yet he found comfort in the beauty of the place. He sat down in a pew with soft burgundy cushions, just needing some sort of peace. And so he prayed.

"Hello, Lord. I know it's been a while since I've talked to You, but… first, I want to thank You for giving me Gosalyn, even though I don't deserve such a sweet little girl for a daughter. And thank You for sending me a friend and a wife to help me care for her. If it wasn't for Launchpad and Morgana, I don't know how well I'd do on my own. And… thanks for the Muddlefoots too. We have great neighbors and Gos has a great kid to hang out with.

"Right now, though, I need to ask You for a miracle… You saw what happened yesterday. That monster came back and almost killed her. And now she might be crippled." Drake was crying now. "Please… don't let my baby be crippled… Please… Amen." He got up from the pew, wiped his eyes and went back to his wife who somehow seemed to know all about it.

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The next morning, Gosalyn awoke to Sarah Bellum coming in to check on her. "Hi, Dr. Bellum."

"Morning, Gosalyn. How are you feeling, kiddo?"

"Not too…" The little girl shifted slightly… "Ow!"

Sarah looked surprised. "'Ow?' Where?"

Gosalyn said, "My leg…" And then she abruptly realized. "My leg hurts!" she shouted out happily.

"Let me just confirm that," the black-haired doctor said, touching the little girl's injured legs.

"OW!" Gosalyn yelped, and her parents and surrogate brother came running in to see what all the commotion was. "My legs hurt!" Gos said triumphantly.

For a second, the adults didn't comprehend why the little redheaded girl was so happy to be in pain. And then they remembered. Drake mentally said a prayer of thanks for his little girl's pain and now prayed that her recovery would be swift. The Justice Ducks and the others waiting heard the news and were in the room in a few seconds, happy beyond belief.

Finally, Gosalyn got some time alone with members of the group. The first person she wanted to see alone was Honker. "Honk… I'm okay."

"No thanks to me," the boy said, taking his glasses and wiping them in a nervous gesture. And a part of Herbert Muddlefoot, Junior came out that he couldn't have comprehended was there before. "You… you could've died! I don't think I could've handled that, Gosalyn! You're my best friend, and… you mean a lot to me… Losing you would be like losing part of me…" He was short of breath after saying this and Gosalyn realized that something in their friendship had changed and would never quite be the same again.

"Honker… Could you come here a minute? Just watch out for the IV."

The boy duckling climbed up onto his best friend's bed. She was sitting up already and smiling. And then she threw her arms around him, holding him in a tight warm hug. "That's why I couldn't let that ceiling fall on you. I couldn't stand it if something happened to you," she said softly, her head resting on his shoulder. "You're my best friend, and sometimes I think you're braver. Dad said that you shot at Bulba."

"Yeah, I did," he said as she looked at him again.

"Where did you get the idea to make that gun, anyway?"

"You're going to laugh…"

"Try me…"

"Quack Trek: The Original Series. Captain Kirk was stuck on a planet where he had to fight a giant lizard and had to use stuff he found on the planet. He did what I did, but he had a diamond, not baseballs."

"Funny, I thought you got the idea from 'MacGyver.'"

"I don't look as cool as he does. I am no Richard Dean Anderduck."

After Honker and Gosalyn had had a good long chat, Bushroot came into the room. "Hi, Gosalyn," he said shyly, holding his potted plant.

"Bushroot? My dad said you were here, but I kind of had a hard time believing it," she said, giving him a shy smile.

"You know, I'd like it if you'd call me Reg, okay? I want everybody who's my friend to call me that."

"All right… Reg. Is that for me?" she asked, looking at the mini-rose bush he was carrying.

"Yeah. This is Rosie, and she tells me she likes you and she knows you'll take good care of her. Isn't that right, Rosie?" In response, Rosie the rose bush opened five buds.

"Keen gear… did you ask her to do that?"

"That's right. She's just been watered and she's been fed. You can make friends with her," he said, setting the plant on the nightstand.

"Hi, Rosie. I'm Gosalyn," the little girl said to the plant, introducing herself… She felt a little silly at first, but the plant duck made her feel at ease as she talked to the rose bush.

Gosalyn had many other visitors that day. The McDuck group of kids came in and played with her (Bubba offered to club Bulba to death; Webby gave Gos a Quacky Patch doll dressed like a baseball player) and kept her happy. The McQuacks came in (Ripcord showed Gos a model of the red bi-plane Launchpad used to fly and let her keep it), and then Fenton, his mother and girlfriend came in. Mrs. Crackshell knew a lot about Pelican's Island, as did Gandra. And then the other Muddlefoots came in the room and told Gos what a little trooper she was. Shortly after that, the little redheaded duckling fell asleep again, exhausted.

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Gosalyn wouldn't be out of St. Canard Children's Hospital for nearly two months. Her legs had been badly broken, so she couldn't be sent home even if her family was able to take care of her (they were able). It was a long and painful process to help the duckling walk again, but Gosalyn found she had the strength and the friends to do it. And she also had the motivation. Three days after she'd come to, the police had reported finding the bodies of Clovis, Hammerhead Hannigan, Hoof and Mouth, and they'd been shot multiple times. Gosalyn knew, as well as her father and those around her, that it wasn't a matter of if Taurus Bulba returned for her; it was a matter of when.

And so, she trained as she recovered. However, though Gos had training as a superhero already, she didn't want to face Bulba as Quiverwing Quack. When she faced him, she would face him as Gosalyn Mallard…

_Wow! I finished chapter 9, folks! Thanks again for all your reviews! I think we're coming to the close of this story. Next time: Will Gosalyn finally have her confrontation with the man who killed her grandfather? How will the Fearsome Five play into the battle? What will change?__ You will see!_

_Read and review, please!_


	10. Endgame Part I

Chapter X: Endgame, Part I

_Hello, again, everyone! Well, I think we're getting to the end of this tale. Thank you for your support, everyone! __Thanks to loonytunecrazy, DarkwingFan, vickie224 and acosta perez jose ramiro for their reviews! __These characters we got attached to have become incredibly real. We all love Gosalyn as if she was a little sister or a buddy. We want vengeance against those who would harm her. And so… that is what we in the fan fiction community shall have…_

_Recap: Gosalyn is ready to take on Taurus Bulba after her injuries. __Everyone is relieved that she'll recover. She is training to fight him. _

_This section, Part I of the final battle, will require a little reversing of the story._

_Disclaimer: Peach has not owned, nor will ever own, Darkwing Duck or any Disney character._

_Warning: Violence, like we rarely have in cartoons now!_

Gosalyn Mallard got her casts off just over a month after the injuries that had almost taken her life. "Your legs might look a little funny, Gos, but I promise you they will work again," Dr. Sarah Bellum said calmly. The little girl nodded, holding the hands of her mom and dad, while Launchpad had his hands on her shoulders. The cast cutter sounded a bit scary to her and she needed them by her side. But it was very quick and Sarah Bellum was careful not to even nick the duckling.

"Keen gear!" Gosalyn said as she looked at her legs for the first time in weeks. Her feet and legs had dry skin hanging off them and had not been bathed. "My legs look so gross!"

"Well, they haven't seen soap and water in a few weeks, sweetie, so why don't we take care of that? And then we can see if your sneakers fit okay and then get you to work on trying to walk in the physical therapy room, okay?"

"All right, Sarah." After a week of being called "Dr. Bellum," the physician had told the little girl it was okay to call her by her first name. And so, Sarah cleaned Gosalyn's legs up, explaining that the leg muscles had atrophied and would be really weak when she tried to walk. "How long will it take for my legs to get stronger? I need to know," Gos said, "because I need to train."

"Train? For what?" Sarah, Morgana, Drake/Darkwing and Launchpad looked at her, confused and concerned.

"I have to be ready for when he comes back," she said, a burning look in her green eyes. "Mom, Dad, Launchpad… when he comes back, we're all in danger. And I want to fight him, and not just watch. Dad, I know you want to protect me, but I've got to do this…"

Drake Mallard and Darkwing Duck were in conflict for a moment…

_I can't just let her face him! She could get killed!_ Drake moaned.

_But if we don't let her train and he attacks, the possibility is much stronger that she will be. We can't protect her from this as much as we'd love to, _Darkwing pointed out.

_I guess you're right… I just wish…_

_Yeah, I know what you mean._ The temporary split over, Drake/Darkwing took a breath. "I know, Gos… And it wouldn't be very fair to deny you the chance. What do you want to know?"

Gosalyn told them, and then said, "I know I've got to get walking first, but if I can work on my upper body and other things first while I'm here, that'd be great. Oh, man, I almost forgot! My birthday's in a few weeks! Can we have a party here?"

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As Gosalyn requested, she had a party with her friends, family and the kids for her 10th birthday. By this time, she was walking, albeit unsteadily and was able to play a few party games. She also danced with Honker a little bit. A few days after that, she was released from St. Canard Children's and was glad to be back at her temporary home. Eek, Squeak and Archie, Morgana's pet bats and spider were thrilled to see her. Though the little girl gave her mother's pets love and attention, they could tell that her heart wasn't with them at the moment…

In fact, over the next month, Gosalyn's heart was at some place other than home. She began spending long hours at SHUSH headquarters at the gym. She began honing her fighting skills. One afternoon, she fought herself into exhaustion as Launchpad had over three months previously.

_You're gone, Bulba, you won't hurt me anymore! _she thought as she looked at the huge punching bag and started kicking and punching. On and on she went, until finally she sank to the floor, sweaty and exhausted.

"Gosalyn? Honey, are you all right?" Morgana asked, coming up to her daughter. "Daddy and I were worried."

"I did ten minutes…"

"You've been at this for over half an hour… What happened?"

"Mom…" Gosalyn said softly, sinking into her mother's warm waiting arms, "I just…" and she was crying again. Gosalyn, through her time at the hospital, had learned that crying didn't make a kid a "weak girl;" crying could actually make a person stronger. "I have to take him down, Mom, or at least know what I could do…" And Morgana couldn't really say anything to this.

More training sessions followed, and Gosalyn became at being able to take an opponent a lot bigger than she was down. One day, she flipped Agent Grizzlikov over her shoulder, flattening him to the mat. And while Gosalyn trained, so did the Justice Ducks and their allies. Scrooge McDuck had Gyro Gearloose update the Gizmosuit so Gizmoduck had better weaponry. The rich old duck also gave the other Justice Ducks (including Gosalyn and Honker) weapons that they could use if they needed to.

Furthermore, to everyone's surprise, in addition to Reginald Bushroot, the other four members of the Fearsome Five asked to help take down Taurus Bulba… Darkwing, at first, was suspicious of his darker half…

"Why do you want to help, Negaduck?" he asked.

Negaduck took a deep breath and let it out. "That kid deserves to live… like mine did…"

"What?" Darkwing asked in a whisper. "Your Gosalyn..? Oh, no…" He remembered the other version of his baby in the Negaverse with the pink dress, ribbons and curls, and couldn't picture her dying. "How..?"

"The Friendly Four and I tangled… She didn't want any of us to get hurt. And she ran into the crossfire… I don't know which one of us did it, but she was alive for a couple of minutes afterward. She was alive just long enough to say, 'I forgive you, Daddy…' She died in my arms and if there's one action I wish I could take back…" Negaduck couldn't speak for a minute. The other members of the Fearsome Five hadn't known this about their leader, but now understood why he'd been so pointed in their laying down their weapons and then picking them up to defend a city they'd tried to destroy.

"I was right," Morgana said. Her husband and his alternate image looked at her. "Negaduck, I thought you were human. She's watching out for you now… Don't turn from her light…"

Rather than respond to this comment, Negaduck looked at Darkwing. "Take care of these two. You'd be lost without them… seriously."

It was a day after this that Bulba made his move. The team had met at Canard Tower to discuss battle tactics (yet again) when they heard a tremendous explosion. They looked toward the Audubon Bay Bridge (it was rush hour) and saw that Darkwing's now-former hideout had just been blown up. Taurus Bulba flew around, blasting what he could. Chunks of debris hit the bridge deck, shattering it in places like a rock to a flimsy toothpick bridge. Several people fell in their cars to the water below. Later, Neptunia would hailed as a hero for saving who she could and doing her best to recover the dead. She was on patrol duty when what would later be known as the Battle of St. Canard, and so fought by saving the land-dwellers that she'd once fought to destroy.

Meanwhile, Gosalyn paled as she watched the destruction, but she knew she couldn't let her fear take control… _Grandpa, Mom and Dad, __I hope you guys are watching as I help my new mom and dad fight. And I'll avenge you, Grandpa._ "Mom… you know what to do…" Gos had asked Morgana for a little help in changing outfits quickly before the battle.

"Okay, sweetie. We'll be able to see you… Do you remember what to say?" Gosalyn nodded and moved to the center of the room where her mother could cast the spell she had to.

And Gosalyn said as her mother gestured silently, "I am vengeance… I am the night… I am Gosalyn Mallard!" And when she had finished these words, she was clad in a red pants outfit, in the same shade as her mother's dress. "Thanks, Mom! Dad, can I say your line?"

Darkwing looked around at everyone, and noticed his darker half was actually trying to hold back laughter at this development. _I never thought he'd actually be… nice…_ "Okay, sweetie, you can say it…"

Gos grinned at her best friend, who also was ready for action. "Do it, Gos!" Honker said.

"Okay… let's get DANGEROUS! And let's send that guy back to HECK!"

And so the Justice Ducks headed toward battle. As they approached the bridge, they could smell smoke, and the acrid scent of burning flesh. When part of the bridge deck collapsed, there was a very bad chain reaction car crash. Some people had stopped in time, only to be killed when they were sandwiched between other people's cars. But the heroes could not stop to mourn. Bushroot had summoned his own army of plants to fight if they had to, while Megavolt had made certain he was fully charged. The Liquidator had quickly raced down to help Neptunia and Quackerjack was ready with his army of slightly demented toys. "This time when I say it, maybe it's not so menacing," he remarked. "It's playtime…"

The group arrived at the bridge and Bulba saw them. "Well, well, so you weren't in your old hideout, were you, Darkwing..? And you've brought friends… I'll just have to play with them. And Gosalyn… You won't survive and I will make you suffer."

"You don't have the power anymore," the little girl answered. "In fact, I'm going to be the one to actually send you to where you belong…"

She didn't notice that Bulba had used the opportunity to train his weapon on her… No one noticed… No one, that is, except Negaduck.

"Oh, I think it is you who will be sent to where you belong…" Bulba said, his voice sounding even more evil. It was then that Gos noticed the laser dot on her chest. She wouldn't be able to move in time. Bulba fired… Gosalyn felt herself being shoved… Bullets hit flesh…and someone was shouting, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

When Gosalyn dared to open her eyes, she half-expected to see her father lying in a pool of his own blood. But when she turned around, she saw her father's double with no less than five bullet wounds in his chest. She moved back.

"Why?" she asked, tears in her eyes (part of her not believing that she could actually be crying for Negaduck).

"You deserve to live…" His eyes lost focus, and Negaduck's soul drifted toward redemption as his body shut down forever. Gosalyn couldn't help but cry.

_And that's part I of Endgame… Ahead…Gosalyn and the Justice __Ducks (__including their new allies) take on Bulba in a final battle. Who will triumph? You will just have to read the conclusion of this battle!_

_Read and review!_


	11. Endgame Part II

Chapter XI: Endgame Part II

_Well, Darkwing fans, we're at the exciting conclusion of the final battle! Thank you to vickie224, acosta perez jose ramiro and DarkwingFan for your continued support. And to all of you who have been reading, I am honored. __It's nice to be __able to let one's creativity flow unhindered; it's doubly nice to know one has brought joy to other people while doing it. I honestly wasn't sure how a fifteen-year-old idea which admittedly had a self-insertion Mary Sue would work and be changed so drastically, but thanks to suggestions and guidance (potterspar__ky and DarkwingFan among them), __I was able to make this work.__ And now… the vengeance…_

_Recap: Gos trained, the Justice Ducks prepared and the Fearsome Five joined in the fight. Negaduck, grieved over losing his universe's Gosalyn in a horrible tragedy, didn't want this world's Gosalyn to meet the same fate. He kept her alive by letting Bulba kill him. Darkwing Tower has been __destroyed;__ the Audubon Bay Bridge is collapsing… So what happens now?_

_Disclaimer: Hello?! Peach doesn't own Darkwing Duck or any Disney character!_

Gosalyn looked at Negaduck's body, tears running down her beak. _You deserve to live,_ he'd said. He'd shoved her out of the way of Taurus Bulba's fire, taking five bullets and dying. She'd thought her father had shoved her out of the way at first… but this was almost like having Darkwing do it. Gosalyn turned around to stare at Negaduck's murderer. Bulba looked for all the world like a demon, but Gosalyn wouldn't be frightened any longer. In fact, his killing of her father's double had all but ensured his fate.

"Justice Ducks," she yelled, "GET HIM!"

Morgana Mallard prepared to raise magical shields around the group, but Bulba fired again. Gosalyn watched her mother go down with her hand clasping her shoulder. Then Darkwing caught a blow to his arm, and Launchpad was hit in the leg. Then, Quackerjack's army of toys attacked the cyborg steer with water pistols.

"Do you think water will stop me?" Bulba shouted, laughing maniacally.

"No, but water and electricity don't mix!" Megavolt yelled, blasting the evil one with a full shot of juice. Bushroot, meanwhile, took the opportunity, along with Steggmutt, to remove their injured from the battlefield.

Taurus Bulba fell to the ground, but not before he used his gun again. This time, however, his shot went wide. However, the shot did hit an already unstable barrier which fell, separating Gos from the adult superheroes and Honker. Gosalyn smiled, knowing that what would happen in the next few minutes would end the war between her and the evil steer.

"Did you honestly think you could escape me, Gosalyn?" he asked. "Did you think your precious friends, your father or your mother could protect you? Did you?"

"I knew it would end like this," Gosalyn said calmly, "but if you think I was trying to escape you, you would be sadly mistaken. I've been hoping you'd come so I could finish you myself…"

"Ha… a little girl, defeat me? You must be gravely deluded! I will finish you!"

Gosalyn smiled mysteriously. If her dream had taught her anything, it was that Bulba _could_ be defeated. And now, as it was in her dreams, Bulba said the words…

"I would have waited an eternity for this… It's over, Gosalyn…"

And as it was in her dream, Gosalyn produced the bazooka. She shouted, "NEVER" as the weapon fired, and Gizmoduck let loose a volley of missiles. At the first shot, Taurus Bulba was stunned. At the second missile, his body started to come apart. With the next few shots, Taurus Bulba was obliterated into pink mist and a few electrical components. At long last, the tormentor of Gosalyn and the murderer of her grandfather was gone for good.

The little girl stood for a second, looking at the spot on the ground where one electrical component was. She walked to it and broke it with her sneaker. And then she raced back to her parents and surrogate brother who were being bandaged up until they could get to SHUSH headquarters to have their injuries dealt with. Wordlessly, the family hugged.

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"…And the death toll from the attack on the Audubon Bay Bridge is up to 100 at this hour with at least 15 people still unaccounted for. It's uncertain just how long it will be until the bridge is repaired. In the meantime, President Bush has declared the city a disaster area and means of transportation will be sent to help the citizens of the city go about their business until the bridge is repaired. In related news, the celebrated restaurant run by chef and superhero Morgana Macabre-Mallard is experiencing record business…"

"That's a relief," Darkwing Duck/Drake Mallard said. "Morg, remember when I wouldn't touch any of the restaurant food?"

"All too well, darling," she answered, looking over at him as they and Launchpad sat in hospital beds. "Now, you can't get enough of it, can you?"

"Nope. Hey, LP?"

"Yeah, DW?"

"Where'd Gos go?"

Gosalyn had gone from SHUSH out to the St. Canard Cemetery. Five days had passed since the attack and three days had passed since one Dirk Mallard, aka Negaduck, the long-lost brother of Drake Mallard, had been buried. A tombstone had quickly been made for him, the birthday the same as her father's and of course the day of death. She laid a pink rose on the stone and said, "Thanks for saving me… I'll live."

**END OF CHAPTER 11**

_I don't think I can completely end it here… It's relatively short, but I'm going to have an epilogue. The loose ends will be tied up and we'll have some good happy moments!_

_Read and review…_


	12. Epilogue

Epilogue

_Well, Darkwing fans, this is it! I'm finally bringing "Waking Nightmare" to a close. Thanks to all of you who have read, reviewed and enjoyed! Thanks to DarkwingFan, acosta perez jose ramiro, loonytunecrazy, pottersparky, Glimerofhope, vickie224, EMY3K, Pesterfield and texashoser! You all made writing this a lot of fun! Don't hesitate to PM me! I love talking to you all, and it's awesome that there are people all over the world that like my work! Blushes__ I am most honored and humbled at this. Thank you…_

_Recap: Taurus Bulba is finally taking the "big dirt nap" that Steelbeak said he should've been taking long ago. Negaduck died heroically, as did a lot of St. Canard citizens. Darkwing, Morgana and Launchpad were hurt, which led to Gosalyn blasting Bulba to his doom with Gizmoduck's help. Darkwing, Morgana and Launchpad were hurt, but would recover. So, how does it all end?_

After Taurus Bulba was blown back to the blazes from which he came, St. Canard had to pick up the pieces. Neptunia and the Liquidator spent several days pulling cars and corpses from Audubon Bay. The final death toll came to 200 people because some of the people they pulled from the water were injured severely and were unable to survive. The fish girl and the shape-shifting water dog were given medals for bravery and service to the city and all the Justice Ducks (including the new members, formerly of the Fearsome Five and the children) received the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Fenton Crackshell and Gandra Dee were married one month after the Battle of St. Canard. Much to Fenton's/Gizmoduck's mother's delight, three months after the battle, Gandra Crackshell found out that she was pregnant. As it happened, she had twins, a boy and a girl.

A few weeks after the Battle of St. Canard, the Mallards and Launchpad and the Muddlefoots moved back to Avian Way. Since the reconstruction of the Audubon Bay Bridge would take a long time and the bridge's structure would be different, McDuck Industries partnering with SHUSH fixed a secret lair underneath the Mallard and Muddlefoot residences. Special chutes designed for the Ratcatcher, Hoverquack and Thunderquack were placed strategically and soundproofed so other neighbors at Avian Way weren't the wiser that a superhero's hideout was very close to them.

Reginald Bushroot became a reasonable environmentalist and helped with replanting areas where the Battle of St. Canard had damaged or destroyed plant life. He became the most brilliant horticulturalist St. Canard ever knew, redeveloping St. Canard University's horticultural program. He also helped to save various plants in danger of becoming extinct in the world's rain forests.

The Liquidator, aka Buddy Flood, partnered with Neptunia to work on convincing the world to conserve water and use it responsibly. The Liquidator found that he could use his body to cheaply and efficiently purify water, and so he traveled to areas where water was not potable, and made it potable. He also kept helping Neptunia protect marine life and the two eventually were given the Nobel Prize.

Megavolt, aka Elmo Sputtlespark, found that he had a gift as a living defibrillator, and so went back to school and got his certification as a nurse. He could use his hands like defibrillator paddles and didn't require being plugged into something in emergencies. He saved many lives and found himself really enjoying being a hero.

Quackerjack, having used his army of toys as instruments of destruction, now used them to help repair the city. And then, he became a good toymaker again. He made toys that eventually became the most sought after in toy shops all around the world. But the first Christmas after Bulba had been blown to Kingdom Come, Quackerjack made a toy for every child in the city. But he gave two toys, at Gosalyn's insistence, to each child at the St. Canard Orphanage. He would be celebrated as St. Canard's Santa.

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--Six months after the Battle of St. Canard—Gosalyn Mallard, ten years old, stood at the graves of her original mother, father and grandfather. "It's over, Grandpa. He's gone. You can rest in peace now and you guys don't have to worry anymore. I'll be okay. My new mom and dad and big brother are taking good care of me. And guess what? I'm going to be a big sister!"

Gosalyn had had nightmares for nearly three months after the Battle of St. Canard. Seeing her mom, dad and Launchpad shot had understandably shaken the little girl, but she was able to recover quickly with a little help from a SHUSH counselor and her family. Just a month previously from this day, Morgana had been feeling sick in the mornings. In fact, for a couple of days, the black-haired witch couldn't work at her restaurant. Then she had gone to the doctor and found out the happy news.

Almost a year to the day after the battle, Morgana Mallard gave birth to a healthy baby boy named Clark Gander Mallard. And Gosalyn Mallard couldn't have been happier…

**THE END**

_I hope you all liked my epilogue! Thank you again, everyone, for making this story such a joy to write. DARKWING DUCK LIVES!!!_


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